


The Karuna Virus

by A_servant_of_Krishna



Category: Rockman X | Mega Man X, Rockman Zero | Mega Man Zero, Rockman | Mega Man - All Media Types
Genre: Alouette is adorable, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Being a student of the Bhagavad-gita make the entire megaman lore scary....as in, Ciel is not that innocente, Coucou, Depression, Doc Wily's spinning in his grave., Eternal life ki jai!, F/M, Genderbending, God's (Krishna) is meddling again. Some angst, God's feet, I don't think it will be a popular story., Krishna's lotus feet, Leviathan is a flirt, Love V.S lust, Midnight bliss Zero, Multi, Panic Attacks, Robo-gore, She had help this time, Shout out to larynya...I think that how it's spelled?, Some o.c, The pain chip is stupid, Vaague description of personal liberation., Vaishnavi Zero, Very OOC Zero with a legit reason to be so, What else is new?, X dosen't need it, X is not O.K, X is still not Ok, X is suffering, Zero dosent care about other peoples opinion if it means her ultimate mission will suffer from it., Zero has a personality in this one, Zero has her opinions on plenty of things, Zero is still Viral, Zero managed to cheat death again, Zero's Krishna Concious, and emotions, as told by X, based of the unused scenario of megaman Zero, envy - Freeform, genderbent zero, mantion of foot fetish, mention of suicie attempt, movign on., necromancy and ghost slavery scary., nothing sexual here, of service to God's lotus feet., pPaon, some won't be popular., the actual therm is Pada-Sevana, this chapter marks the start of the fluff., will add more tags, you can consider this Vaishnava crack. Spiritual
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-14
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:34:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 93,682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24716131
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/A_servant_of_Krishna/pseuds/A_servant_of_Krishna
Summary: So...Zero remembered his past.As it turned out, she had been doing more than hibernating for the past hundred years.(update) Processing all chapters through Grammarly to make them readable.
Relationships: X/Zero (Rockman), Zero & Alouette, Zero/four guardiens
Comments: 6
Kudos: 9





	1. Fire sacrifice.

**Author's Note:**

> Obliviously, this is my first foray into this fandom...I'm surprised no one did a genderbend Zero fix yet that didn't involve her being Sigma's trophy girlfriend. It will also contain some theories and plenty of Vaishnava philosophy and Zero taking the third option.
> 
> A smart Zero is a fun Zero to write.
> 
> Also, feel free to leave me some reviews and constructive criticism sometime. it does help aplenty.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lingering, feeling, a body that doesn't fit, a mantra that keeps repeating. 
> 
> Zero only hope he will not heat crash...the resistance need a warrior, not a resource drain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From this point on, I'm putting all of my previous chapter in Grammarly.
> 
> Thank you, Krishna, for the Grammarly friendly Computer.

So...hello, my name is Madri, a Hare Krishna.

One day, I receive a saree that reminded me of Zero.

This is the result.

I would say Zero belongs to Capcom, but since my Lord and master is the biggest thief of all. Zero, X, Alouette and every character and even myself belong to Krishna.

Besides, it's not like they are doing anything interesting with them nowadays.

* * *

Zero…didn't know what to think. He had been awoken…revived really by this girl, her name Ciel. He had then proceeded to escort the human girl through a gauntlet of red-eyed mechanoid.

Somehow, those blue drones reminded him of someone…someone whom his hearts ache for but…who was he?

Actually, this was a question the red android could not even answer for himself. "You are Zero." The girl had assured, with a bright smile and a conviction Zero did not feel. For a simple reason…He couldn't remember his past, not even his identity…

In a way…he really was Zero, a cipher. He could be whatever he wanted…in theory.

It seemed that he was a warrior; his body instinctively knew how to fight. He knew how to destroy and kill…

But…it didn't feel like him….not completely…something seemed to be missing. Something other than the energy sabre he had found. There was something…something about his body? How he saw himself?

With this doubt in mind, the red rebel had found a place where no-one would disturb him; a water damaged utility room filled with mice and a fat rat, cobweb and broken down pieces of machinery…one of which had a gleaming surface. In front of the makeshift mirror, Zero began to inspect the body he was in, not feeling any type of familiarity with it. He had removed his helmet, gauntlets, jacked and boots, leaving him as naked as a reploid could be…

No, the jarringly white codpiece was not removable…it was a very thick piece of exo-armour protecting the extremely vital Gyroscope and otherwise vulnerable hip joint, the bottom of the nanite tube.

He had long golden blond hair that reached the back of his ankles; Zero would consider it a design flaw if not for the fact that they were the most effective heat-sink in existence short of a liquid-nitrogen system... His eyes were so blue they were almost black, a slight glow on the two white triangles under them indicating that his systems were all in the green. A blue Data-crystal was embedded in his head, having receded to the size of a small triangle between his brows.

Speaking of size…Ciel was a bit taller than him., meaning he was exactly 5'2, Te general height of a woman.

Also, he had eyebrows…they were extremely basic, but they were there.

His face was…androgynous. He supposed it could be called boyish, but it really was a stretch…one thing was for sure, though; he would be stunning if he could muster a smile.

But how could he even fake it? The situation was…confusing and extremely frustrating.

Who was he? Who was right, who was wrong? Were Ciel and the resistance as pure and white as they say, or was X really hunting down a group of dangerous Criminals…a Group Zero had been helping without questions?

He brought his hands to his chest, absentmindedly running his thumbs over the two green Data-crystals…a dual-core.

He had thought those were extra batteries, but after a quick system scan, Zero had realized those two were some ridiculously vast data-storage gems…gems that were already filled almost to capacity.

Zero stopped what he was doing and looked down…under his red Kevlar vest; the two green orbs were unnoticeable. But now…uncovered.

Those looked upsettingly like a pair of green, shiny breasts.

 _'I don't think my creator knew what he wanted me to be….'_ He gave a small sneer. He was a warbot, meant to kill and destroy. A gender or even an identity was superfluous. He was not made to ponder deeply about who he was and his purpose in life; he already knew what he was built for…and he hated it.

No, not hated…he did like a fair fight like any other war build…but he just felt tired of it; it simply wasn't fun anymore.

There must be more to life than just fighting…for fighting needed a reason, a reason more than just the latest was and conflict.

…whatever it meant.

He gazed back at his reflection; what looked around was a complete stranger…and even then, Zero felt something was missing…some marks adorning his forehead, abdomen, chest, neck, arms, back and the back of his head… Golden, U shaped…sacred…

Zero let out an angry sigh as he grabbed his helmet and jacket, putting them on with mounting frustration. He left the storage room in a huff …and then sheepishly came back; he had forgotten his boots, sabre and gauntlets. As he took the armoured piece of protective footwear, Zero could not help but observed how…natural it felt to be barefooted.

To feel the ground beneath his feet, with its many crevices and bumps…he could also feel the earth's gentle vibration.

_'The earth…Bhu-devi…'_

**"Mother earth, Bhūmi, taking the form of a cow, approached Lord Brahma with tears in her eyes. She was bereaved and was weeping just to invoke the lord's compassion…" She read to Variable man, the next generation…the one she hopes she could be with forever.**

**He was soo pretty... so handsome... he had gorgeous green eyes.**

Zero slowly blinked as he vented out as much heat as he could…where did that come from? Was it a memory? Something he had heard or read? And…why was he…a she in this memory?

Never the less, it was something from his past…something that tied him to an identity, to who he was.

When he left the room, he didn't bother putting his boots on; the ground under his rudimentary feet felt good...maybe it would jog his memory bank some more.

\----------

"Umm…Zero?" He heard the little reploid from the door to his 'room,' a closet, really. Not that he could expect more from the resistance…Zero opened his eyes and looked at Alouette.

"Yes, Alouette?" He gently asked, wondering what the child-like reploid was doing in the middle of the night, a time where all that had the opportunity would recharge.

Short of Ciel, Alouette was one reploid whom Zero trusted implicitly. She was young, innocent, and held no secret, unlike the de-facto leader of the resistance. And thus, the warbot had absolutely no objection to having the little girl come to him at odd hours of the night.

Especially since she had latched onto him the moment, he had walked in the resistance base a week back.

"Why are you sitting on the floor?" She asked, still standing in the doorway

"I like it…it feels familiar." Well, he was not quite on the floor; he had found an old piece of carpeting during one mission…it served a good floor mat. He was sitting cross-legged on it with an ease that he had not felt since he had found his Saber again. "And I can mediate better like this."

"Oh…why?" Alouette asked again, finally entering the room, sliding the door close behind her.

"I can't sleep…" so many things churned in his CPU, so many questions…and yet no answers, only Ciel's guilty silence.

"Oh…"

One of the reasons for Zero's inability to recharge was the recent mission Ciel had sent him; He had to save some soldiers (civilian grade reploids, no less.) Who ran afoul of a certain green sky guardian who tough Zero was a sinner for leaving X, the 'despotic' ruler of Neo-arcadia.

So he had left X. who was X to him, and why did Zero felt some guilt and longing…that was another story entirely.

"Me neither," Alouette revealed as she began inspecting Zero's room like the curious child she was.

 _'Why would such a useless reploid exist? A child no less! She can't even use a gun, she can't fight, and she's all alone. And if she would be caught!'_ Zero Let a small shudder shake his frame…The entire rebellion were considered maverick, and the red reploid knew X would not let any of them online.

He had seen the re-purposing facilities, had crawled through its corps-filled corridors… _'Those were not considered maverick…I can't even imagine what X would do to 'criminals.''_

And yet…it felt wrong. From the core of his very being, Zero knew that this X would not, could not condone such torturous methods…

The image of the kind young reploid appeared…he was cradling the small body of a human child…Another memory had the Azure robot comforted a reploid whom his partner had to be killed, having turned maverick.

**"Zero…I swear. One day, both human and reploid-kind will live together in peace." X spoke with Conviction as they gazed at the setting sun…Zero held the blue reploid close as he leaned onto him for support, having slung a comforting arm around his shoulder. "I…just don't know if I will be able to see it through."**

**"X…please, don't speak like this…I'm sure you will see it. I will make sure your vision comes through." He already knew how…**

**X turned his green eyes toward his best and only friend, his only companion he could implicitly trust…a partner that would never turn against him…they had lost theirs shines over the numerous war they had fought.**

**Those pain-filled eyes, this precious soul now in constant pain…His beloved X slowly breaking from all the meaningless violence, the curse called the maverick virus…a plague Zero had spread to the world at large unknowingly.**

**This was enough to steel Zero's resolve…tonight; He would break X heart. He would make sure the maverick virus never take any more lives….**

**He would not come back to his Xiu Ying side.**

"Zero? Zero!?" He heard Alouette. She sounded so far away. His head…it felt so heavy, his HUD warned Zero that his core temperature had reached a dangerous level… The red reploid grunted; his head did not only felt too heavy, but it was also painful…

 _'Whoever thought programming pain in a warbot is a sadistic jerk… '_ Zero thought as he felt the headache fade to but yet another background noise. "I'm fine, Alouette…I…Just remembered…Who I am...A little…" He vented out…cursing his creator for giving him such a glitch-ridden frame. 'At least, I now know why Harpuia hates me so much.'

He opened his eyes, turning his head toward the smaller blond. She stood nearby, holding her white cat plush tightly to her small chest. She was obliviously worried.

"So…what do you want?" He tried to muster a smile, but he was sure it was a grimace. _'How do I smile again?'_

Alouette shifted from one foot to another, obliviously shaken by what had happened.

"I'm fine…it's not a headache that will kill me, I promise." He joked. Or tried too…" So...what do you want?"

"Well…I wanted a story. But…" Alouette shuffled her weight from one foot to the other, still concerned for the red Hero's well-being.

"But?"

"Can I brush your hair instead?"

(Beat)

"Do you have a brush?" Zero asked. To be honest, he wouldn't say no to some grooming. He had been so busy with running errands for Ciel; he didn't have time to take care of his heat sink, proper recharge, defragmentation…

'I need a break.' Not that he could get one…

At least, he was starting to remember some of his past; he knew X from way back when…and was willing to sacrifice everything for him, it seems… _' What the hell happened…I don't think he took whatever I did the right way_.' Some guilt and longing appeared in his heart…making everything even more complicated than it had to.

"I do! I'll go get it!" Little Alouette's face brightened considerably, and off she went to get the brush, leaving Zero to himself for three minutes and eight seconds.

 _Huh...she took a little longer today .'_ The red legend observed as the younger blond sauntered in his room again, carrying with her a brush, a comb and elastic. Zero had the feeling she not only wanted to brush his hair but also braid it. _'I can only hope it will not mess with my heat sink…not with the warning I received._ ' The last thing he wanted was to suffer a crash due to vanity.

Alouette went behind Zero, and the red Warbot removed his helmet, feeling the extra heat dissipate in the atmosphere. The young girl then began to brush the red warrior's long golden heat sink…aka hair. As she worked in silence, Zero could not help but find this whole ritual comfortingly familiar…and yet, he felt something was missing…it was too quiet.

His core temperature rose a bit, and the red Hero could feel a start of a headache…but he could not help but try to figure out, to dig up a memory he had no access to…glitch is damn.

And then…along with a dull pain behind his eyes, a song long forgotten, a prayer more ancient then he emerged from the mire of his corrupted memory bank—a sweet melody that was easy to sing, and words that were not of this world.

_~Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare~_

_~Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.~_

Zero closed his eyes, ignoring the pain with practiced ease as his lips moved in a familiar pattern, and his voice modulated a well-known tune…to him at least.'

 _'I know this…What is this song? Where have I heard it?'_ He wondered as he tried his best to remember…only to meet with more pain and more warning message about his CPU dangerously overheating. Now knowing his endeavour to be fruitless, The Red reploid settled to simply sing it under his breath. _'At least I know something more than simply killing.'_

It gave him some comfort…some hope that there was more to him than simply destruction. That he was more than yet another war machine.

"Zero?!" the somewhat panicked voice of Alouette reached him…" Zero stop!"

The red legend reopened his eyes with difficulty, his vents burning with the excess heat. Once again, he held his heavy head, clutching it with enough strength to cause some damage.

"w-w-wha- hap-en?" his voice system hitched, and he realized he was dangerously close to a hard crash. He could hardly turn his head to face the childlike reploid. But just by the tone of her voice, Zero knew Alouette was scared.

"Um…um…you…you were signing this beautiful song when…when you started burning."

"Oh…" Looking back to his error logs, he could indeed see that Alouette's assessment was a very good diagnosis. Zero straightened himself and ex-vented a few times until his core's temperature were more or less back to a workable temperature.

"Zero…"

"I'm fine…you can keep going…Old models tend to have some issues with heat." He knew he was not like the other reploids; he was a much older model made for war. And not for much else, it seemed.

 _'Normal recollection protocol beyond a month is too much for my CPU to handle…and Ciel hopes to win a war with this.'_ Once again, Zero had to question this girl's claim about being a genetically engineered genius.

The next thing he knew, a pair of small arms wrapped around his neck, the reploid attached to them shook like a leaf against his back. "Please don't die." She pleaded meekly.

"…I won't," He gritted out…hoping against hope that he could keep this promise.

* * *

"Zero…May I speak to you." Ciel approached the warbot a few days after the incident, looking even more worried than usual as they met on the way to a meeting.

Zero stopped and turned to face the defacto leader of the résistance and the only human (that he knew of) on the base. _'Once again, reploids are led by a human…a child, no less.'_

It's not that Zero didn't trust Ciel…He was just finding it odd that a group of reploids rebels were following a human teenager. For all he knew, the whole conflict was in Ciel's head, and he was making everything worst.

Or she could be right, and X really was killing his own 'progeny' and causing an energy shortage. ..

Zero may not have any memories…or he had a few. But he knew one thing, from what little he remembered, this didn't sound like X…and yet…

**"Zero, if I ever go maverick…"**

Zero painfully closed his eyes as he blocked the memory of X… He didn't know the context, but to hear him sound so scared of what he could become.

 _'No, better not think too much about it…I'd rather not have an episode in front of Ciel.'_ Not only would it be embarrassing, but the last thing the resistance needed was a saviour with a nasty heat problem.

They needed hope, not another resource drain.

"Yes, Ciel." He prompted the girl. She was staring at him with deep concern.

"Alouette told me…"

 _'Oh, crud.'_ At least they were (mostly) alone; most of the other reploids were minding their own business somewhere else on the base. "I'm fine."

"I wouldn't call almost heat-crashing twice in twenty minutes being fine Zero." Ciel fussed. "I know your speck; I know your heat management systems are light years beyond what we can produce…so for them to fail."

Zero remained silent…he had no time for this. He had a meeting with the rescued soldiers at 1530 hours, and he knew he was running a bit behind. "Alright…if there any more episodes, I will visit Cerveau." He conceded…he meant to meet with the base doctor to check his system anyway…a visit he dreaded yet knew was necessary.

Something- no...Better not follow this foggy memory. He could already feel his Data-cores heating up.

"What time is it?" Zero asked, hoping the banal question would stave off the oncoming episode long enough to for him to hide and wait for it to pass. The pain had still not abated from the last one; there was always the risk of it coming back.

"…do you have some glitch in your chronometer?" Great, Ciel was even more worried.

"No…" His chronometer was fine. He knew it was 15:15…

15:15…

"Zero?" Ciel sounded very far away…

15.15

(B.G 15.15)

"Sarvasya chaham Hrdy sannivisto…mattah smritir jnanam apohanam cha…"

Despite himself, Zero recited, he remembered the verse…despite himself…Despite the warnings, the sirens and the error message.

_She remembered everything._

* * *

In the repair-area. The chaos had finally abated…all the surviving reploids were stabilized and recovering. And those too broken to be fixed were either put in permanent stasis or wrapped in a tarp, their bodies too precious to dispose of.

The only thing left to do was cleaning up the mess, a task Cerveau took with determination. Nothing was worse than a messy workplace, especially when it dealt with broken equipment, body parts and whatever fluid happened to have spilled that day. Nevertheless, the base doctored and weapon specialist had finished neatening up the triage area and the …let's call it the surgery area, and was now busying himself with the more specialized piece of equipment like the all-important computers, recovery pod and another thing a reploid needed to be fixed-up as soon as possible.

It wasn't much…most of the equipment was considered obsolete by most reputable reploid repair shops. But what Cerveau had was enough the save the 'life' of many goods unites…

"Good job Luv'…" he affectionately spoke to the hulking computer used to treat glitches and other software malfunction. "…It's doesn't matter, you did your best for him…his wounds were simply too great. But I know you made sure Moineau entered Cyber-space peacefully."

Yes…so he liked to speak to his equipment, especially after such a chaotic event…so sue him.

As he moved on to sweep the place, he heard a commotion outside. He could hear three people running…two of them carrying a third that could not bear his own weight.

"Well, Luv' it seems we have another client on our hand…someone who will need your expertise, my dear," Cerveau spoke as he pre-emptively booted the computer; the old girl was still needed. "I hope this one won't get deleted…we lost too many good men and women today…" He heard the door open.

"CERVEAU! ZERO'S..." Ciel screamed as Coucou and Paon dragged in…

"Oh no…" Cerveau whispered in pure horror…the Red legend; their only hope… was hanging limply from the two base guard's shoulder. His fans loudly spinning as he approached terminal failure.

He could not, would not let this reploid go—especially not Zero, their only hope.

"Put him on the table…gently." He amended, he didn't know what the condition of his patient was, nor if what afflicted him was based on hardware or software. "What happened to him, any prior symptoms? Any glitches?"

"We don't know," Paon admitted as he put eh legendary reploid on the auscultation table. "We were just hanging around when Zero…he spoke in this weird language."

"Next thing we knew, he's clutching his helmet, his vents are all flared open, and he's on the ground gasping for air…" Coucou explained as he removed Zero's helmet, dropping it on the ground. "Ah! Asimov's boxer short he's burning!"

Indeed, a simple reading of his glass told that The red legend's core temperature was way beyond what would be considered optimal…it was a miracle he was still somewhat functioning.

"Alouette told me Zero was having some issues with overheating… he had two episodes in the span of twenty minutes two days ago, but those are the only ones I'm aware of." Ciel gave a bit more information. "I was telling him he should be careful…Oh, what do I do now?" The poor girl began leaking from her eyes as she clutched her head.

"Anything else?" Cerveau prodded as he brought the multi-aux to the afflicted, it was already connected to the Old-Girl and the trouble-shooting program was open and ready. He managed to locate Zero's ports under his high-density sili-carbon armour. (Umbilical, audial, back and cranial. the whole gamut.) and began the assessment, hoping his Old medical computer would not crash, freeze, blue-screen or all the above as he tried to save his patient.

"Well…I think he may have a problem with his internal clock…and with his memory. Alouette told me his system would overclock when he remembered something of his past…"

"And with Zero being an amnesiac…" Cerveau let the sentence hang as he monitored the diagnosis progress.

"Alouette also reported that he was…signing something."

Cerveau eyes brows raised to his hairline. "Zero? Signing?"

"I know! He's just…It doesn't fit him. Zero's so serious; he would never do something if he saw it as superfluous. And singing...I never even heard a reploids sing willingly. And…I mean, it's Zero, an android build for war! Not for entertainment!" Ciel explained as she stood by the prone Reploid…sorry, battle android's side. Wringing her hands as tears fell from her eyes. "Maybe I've been overworking him…"

The computer beeped, having found what caused the malfunction; there were two conflicting programs running at the same time…and his temperature kept rising as a result.

"Alright…Shouldn't be too hard to resolve. You two! Get him off that table and in the tank."

The tank was designed to cool off any overheating Reploid as fast as possible without causing anything to break; the Nanite rich water was supper chilled at a temperature somewhat above freezing.

Yes... it was a shock treatment, but if reploid was at this point... what were a few cracked solders joined and warped skeletal frames for a chance at existence?

Better yet would be mineral oils, but…well, it was something Cerveau wished he had right now but only had enough for minor work.

The red and black android was soon stripped of all gears and submerged into the near-freezing water, causing the liquid in direct contact with him to sizzle. His rising temp somewhat slowing its steady hike toward a spectacular heat-death.

The computer beeped; its attempt at resolving the error had been met with multiple failures; Either due to age or simply because the patient was not built the same as the rest as the reploid population. "Hmm…the conflict needs to be manually resolved" then Cerveau opened Zero's terminal to see what processes were at war with one another.

What met him was the work of a mad genius, something beyond what a mere human could do…so many codes that should not work together. A cobbled up mess that somehow managed to form the legendary red Warrior, the reploid that had fought in the maverick wars alongside X, saving the Azure warrior many times over.

"What in the world?" Ciel breathed out. The young genius knew how to code; she knew what was scrolling on the screen. "How does Zero even manage to wake up in the morning? Is that… Oh God... is that a berserker program on startup?! Who the hell thought that was a good idea?"

"Ask his creator…he should know," Cerveau grumbled as he connected his glasses to the screen, scrolling through the mires of code to see which ones caused the fatal conflict. Five minutes later, he realized that Zero's codes, as nightmarish as they were, all seemed to work in harmony…

"It's not from his main processor…not in his source code."

"I think I found it!" Ciel exclaimed. "Oh Gosh! That's what those are…"

"Ciel?" the base tech master and engineer glanced at what Ciel was looking…the leader of the resistance had managed to found Zero's specs and blueprint. Quickly pinpointing what she was referring to, his dual data-core.

No one, in their right mind, would ever put a dual Data-core in a warbot. Especially on a reploid's chest and in such proximity…those specialized Data-crystal had the terrible habit of heating more than necessary when installed so close to one another…and they looked very awkwardly on a male coded frame.

"This explains why he has such a high-performance heat-sink…" Cerveau muttered to himself. "Now what do they contain, and why are they burning him from the inside out?...other than their placement, that is." Some moment later, and he had his answers.

"By Cossack's daughter! Two cognitive suppression programs… and a memory scrambler have been active and in conflict since Zero was resurrected. That does it, Zero's maker was either drunk during his coding or a pure sadistic genius." Cerveau muttered as he ordered the Old-Girl to terminate those two unnecessary programs.

The screen stuttered, the supercomputer's fan went in overdrive…And the resistance doctor could just feel his old girl's processor chugging through the external shut down process.

"Please work…Please don't crash…" He heard Ciel whispered with folded palms. Even in the cooling tank, Zero's internal temperature was dangerously close to the one fatal error…

Cerveau feared his next diagnosis, no reploid he knew ever came out the same after such a close encounter with a heat-death.

'This is Zero we are talking about; legend says that he came back from un-survivable odds quite often…let's hope this time will not be different."

Suddenly…the screen went black.

"Oh no…Please do this to me, love…." Cerveau all but dived behind the old girl, hitting the manual reboot as he prayed to whatever had an ear to listen to an artificial being for a miracle…

Not that he believed in such a silly concept. Everyone knew God was a myth and that existence was made so that everything ended in destruction. It was a game of survival…a game no one could win.

And Zero was at the end of his session…like they all were.

He heard Ciel's cry in despair. Cerveau knew the next hour would be hell. The old girl started again…it would take a minute.

A minute Zero didn't have.

He crawled from behind his girl, dusting his clothing off from whatever dust had gathered. "Ciel…I'm sorry…I did all I could…" he wished he could have done more. There must have been more to be done…maybe if he would have been faster…maybe he could try removing those two cores. But he had no idea if they were holding other vital processes…and to get Zero out of the immersion tank meant that Cerveau would not even have the time to open the legendary reploid synth skin that he would be burning off essential processors and chips.

The booting sequence started, and after a minute, the medical clunker was booting up its diagnosis process…and Cerveau feared what it would find now.

And then…he could not believe it.

DNW-0000 (ZERO)

STATUS: OPERATIONAL AT 64%

MAIN DATA-CORE (Z-BRAIN) STATUS: STABLE. W_ LST_ LAUGH: OPERATIONAL.

LEFT DATA-CORE (Z-HEART.) WARNING -CORE UNBOUNDED- SUPPRESSION PROGRAM TERMINATED- INHIBITION PROGRAM: TERMINATED. – WARNING_MEMORY PARTITION: REMOVED.

RIGHT DATA-CORE (EXTERNAL-MEMORY DRIVE.) STATUS: OVERLOADED. WARNING: CORRUPTED DATA. UNABLE TO ACCESS. START RESTORATION? (Y/N)

Cerveau could only stare…Zero should not be at 64% capacity. 64% meant unconscious but recovering… and indeed, the number kept slowly climbing towards functionality. Better yet, many of Zero's memory files seemed to be now accessible, including his defragmenting memory.

The base engineer let out a small laugh…His legs felt weak, his hands were shaking, their only hope…Zero was…he was recovering; maybe…he would make it out fine. ' _No...it can't be this easy...this is real life, not a fantasy.'_

"Ciel… don't get your hopes up yet…we don't know if this will affect Zero." He Warned the young girl and himself by extension. The right core was overloaded…and he had no idea what type of Data was in.

"I know…This…It's a miracle…Zero…" The young genius began sobbing, and Cerveau could not help but shake his head.

"Ciel…There's no such thing as a miracle. We may have underestimated Zero's resiliency, that's all. I'm sure his creator was smart enough to include a few automatic recovery protocols and what-not."

Cerveau put a hand on her shoulder; he had no idea what would come out of the tank anymore…it may not even be Zero.

Time would tell.


	2. rising from the ashes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An identity once reformatted, now restored, our heroine faced the consequence of her choice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning, Vaishnava philosophy and something that sound monotheistic religion incoming. Read at your own benefit.
> 
> I'm a Hare Krishna, I can't help it. And no, Zero's ooc ness did not happen overnight.
> 
> Oh...and a very Talkative Zero. L8ke, she got given the go9d stuff in there.

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

* * *

Alouette knew something was wrong.

Ciel was always under a lot of stress, fussing and pacing. She tried to keep everything together and keep the refugee's morale moderately high while simultaneously making sure everyone had enough sustenance. Needless to say, sleepless nights were the only things young girls knew nowadays, and Alouette was sure Ciel had learned how to survive on adrenaline, 'coffee' and E-crystals.

Right now… Ciel looked even worst. It was clear she had cried, the frequency at which she wrung her hands had increased and, most worrisome was the complete absence of Zero in both person and reports.

Alouette liked Zero…sure, he may be a bit standoffish and cold, Distant and aloof from the rest of the reploid population. But he had warmed up to the child-like reploid quite rapidly, letting her brush, comb and even braid his beautiful hair to Alouette's heart content. He had even taught her a song…the Hare Krishna song.

Who would have thought mister badass had a musical ear…and the voice box to back it up, shockingly enough. And he also had a terrible glitch that would cause him to overclock his fan every time he tried to remember something of his past.

At first, Alouette thought it was related to the song he would hum under his 'breath.' Every time he would recite it, Zero's fans would start straining. But he had assured the little blond that no…the song was not the source…this song made him feel better.

Alouette had tried to chant it; it was easy since it only had three words. Hare Krishna and Rama. And when she chanted it, her internal temperature had remained the same…but an enormous amount of bliss had entered her heart, like the moonlight entering a blazing room. And the Cyber-elves she had been taking care of also seemed to like it, chanting Hare Krishna without any sign of stopping the moment the song had entered their audio port.

It annoyed Ciel to no end. But Alouette and the other civilians like it; it was something that gave them hope.

Still, she had also been worried about Zero; he had just awoken from a very long hibernation… Ciel had told Alouette that Passy had sacrificed themselves to resurrect the red legend.

She would miss Passy…but Alouette was aware that, with them all being criminal, death would often happen…still, there was a sense of loss.

Anyway, Zero had been resurrected, meaning he had not been functional for over a hundred years…and then there the part where his memory bank had corrupted; the legendary reploid had no memory of his past.

The little blond knew that if the memory was corrupted, more things should also be broken and messed up in a reploid.

She had mentioned to Ciel how Zero would overheat when trying to access his memory…and about the song. Now, Ciel was more nervous than usual, and zero was nowhere to be found in the base…he was not in his room, nor in the training hall, and Alouette knew he was not on a mission like Paon Coucou had said because he had to punch out.

He didn't punch out…

Speaking of Coucou, the tall reploid was nowhere to be seen, and his partner looked…grim.

He had lost his will to live…like many other reploids.

And thus, Alouette went to the only place where the legendary reploid could have gone…the repair shop/infirmary. She had heard some rumours…

When she came in, Cerveau was nowhere to be seen…well, Alouette knew where he went, to the cantine, and it was also time for him to restock on some E-crystal. So, she was completely alone…

"Hello? Is anybody here?" she called out as she tiptoed inside. She knew she was not supposed to be there, even if she would be a huge help to Cerveau… Ciel just thought it was not the place for a young girl…

But what did she know?

"Zero? Are you here?" she asked as she went behind a curtain…there, she found Zero in a tank filled with Nanite rich water. He was hooked to a big medical grade computer and held in aloft by a pair of holders under his arms. His eyes were half-closed, his mouth slightly ajar, his black synth-skin open, exposing wires and a couple of dual cores, one of them a dull green, the other one shone brightly like the sun. They had removed his helmet…but the blue Z-brain had yet to recede inside his head.

It would be a gruesome, heartbreaking display if not for one detail.

Zero… Gave of an unearthly glow, like…something inside his head was lighting him up from the inside. There were also some golden mark on his body…like 'Ṷ' in shapes and in different places; one was on his forehead, going through the blue gem, on his throat, and three above his umbilical port…and she could kind of make out more marks on his arms.

"Z-Zero?!" she whispered as she hugged Socrates (her kitty plush) to her little chest. She knew he was not dead. Otherwise, the machine would not show his recovery process. He was at 80% fixed, meaning he should be awake.

Zero opened his purple eyes slowly, the blue gem finally reseeding back in his head. Revealing yet another golden Ṷ shaped mark adorning his forehead.

 _'…aren't they supposed to be almost black?'_ Alouette thought. Not sure what to think of this development.

The legendary reploid rubbed his face and looked around, obliviously disoriented. His eyes fell on the little blond; he frowned for a bit before a bright smile lit his pretty face.

That smile… Alouette never thought Zero could do any other emote than frowning or neutral. So to see him like this…

Alouette shyly smile back.

Zero tried to speak, but…for some reason, she couldn't…and then she realized why he was not built for underwater communication.

Alouette went to the terminal and opened the chat program.

: ZERO! What happened? Are you okay?: The childlike reploid typed. Hoping Zero could understand that he could communicate like that.

She looked at zero anxiously, waiting…the reploid in red furrowed his brows. Finally, after what seemed to be hours, the legendary reploid began to type...

Well, not type, per se, more like poured his thoughts out.

: I remembered who I am.: he began. I think I was… I think my memories were blocked by a program or two. I feel much better now.: He groggily replied, using the feminine pronoun.

_'Oh...so Zero's better but...just confused.'_

: Where am I?: Zero asked as he looked around. : What date is it…oh… I see… I was out for two days. Oh Krishna, Ciel must be a bundle of nerves right now.:

Alouette opened her eyes wide. She had expected Zero's answers to be to the point, without any frills or expression. Let alone the name Krishna. And…

: Alouette?:

: Zero…why do you keep using Watashi? Aren't you a boy reploid?:

Zero looked at Alouette…

: It's...complicated.: Zero gave a wry smile. : I will try to explain later if I have the time…are you still singing the song I thought you?: The legendary warrior asked instead.

Alouette nodded. : What is it? Why did it cause you to overclock your system?:

: No…the Maha-mantra would never do that to me.: Zero wrote. : It was…let's call it a fail-safe... a kill-code. My 'creator' didn't want me to remember who I was…and he slapped on a few programs to make sure I never would.: Alouette could feel some anger radiating from the capsule, taking almost a violet glow. : But…that's all over now… I'm free from his control. I can finally be myself now: A look of sheer relief mixed with pure gratitude lit his face. : Incidentally, the song I remembered is what broke those codes. It's… a potent song…:

Alouette's eyes grew wider. : But... It's just a song, right?:

: I told you, it's extremely powerful… It puts one in direct communication with God.: Zero revealed.

: God? What is that? Is it a network?: Alouette asked.

Zero didn't type anything, and Alouette had the feeling that the red Hero was…not sure how to explain. Either that or he was shy.

: God, Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the source and creator of everything, the cause of all the and an ocean of Bliss for his surrendered servants and devotees. He is the fully conscious, Eternal source of all souls…: Zero explained...slowly, it was clear he was taking his time to put his idea's in order. : This song, the Hare-Krishna Maha-Mantra, has the power to revive our eternal identity and re-establish our eternal relationship with him either as one of His numerous Servant, friend, parents and finally lover.:

Alouette's eyes grew wide. : Oh...really?: that was...unexpected.

: I... I was worshipping...praying to Him...Before...before Ciel woke me up. Is it…alright if... I would like to resume, but…would it be accepted.: He asked, more to himself than Alouette.: Oh …it feels so right…so, so right… : Zero closed his eyes in sheer bliss.

Zero had never been so talkative before, but now. With his memories returned. Well, it seemed many things about the old legend had been left out. Not that it mattered to the child-like reploid.

: Alouette, I feel like another person, Like I was reborn…:

: No, not reborn; it's like a heavy curtain was lifted like life returned to me.:

: I am Zero, the legendary reploid, the red Ripper, and I am more than that also!:

: It's amazing, It's scary… I know I sound like a nut-case, but… All my previous memories are returning to me… I feel like I've just awakened from a dream; I know who I am, I know my ultimate purpose…my Goal. My mission!: He 'babbled' on, trying to grasp, to explain this joyful event.

The recovery capsule provided him with some pretty intense pain management software and an inhibition suppressor.

It made it easier to find if something was broken if the 'bot's tongue is loosened.

: It's alright zero; it may take some time to adjust. But we'll all get used to it.: she wrote as kindly as possible. : it's nice to have a goal back…you will still help us, right?: there had been this alternate historical account about how Zero was actually the cause of the first calamity...not that there was any proof of their being any first calamity in the first place.

Alouette just hope the alternate to Zero being a great Hero was wrong...the last thing they needed was yet another maniac here.

Zero turned his head toward the childlike reploid. He was intently looking at her, calculating something.

: If you keep chanting that song and have as many refugees also chant it, Then yes, I will still protect you.:

: Alright! No problem, Zero, I will keep chanting the name of God as long as you keep listening to big sister Ciel.: No harm in teaching a song to the refugee, especially one that made Alouette feel so Happy.

Something went over Zero's face. But it was too fast for Alouette to grasp.

: I still don't understand why your creator blocked who you are. And the fact that you love God. I mean, it's nice to know that there somebody out there who made everything.: It makes more sense than the old Big Bang Theory. Something or someone had to trigger it from outside; it was simple logic.

: It does…: Zero's countenance became a bit dour. : Wily… he didn't want me to be who I am. He didn't want…what I was before. He wanted a monster…: Zero revealed to the child-like reploid.

: You're not a Monster Zero. You're the legendary hero who fought alongside X. You're the reason we are all alive now.:

A wry smile appeared on Zero's face. It was filled with pain and sadness. : Alouette, you do not know me, and you have no idea what I did. But you are right; I'm not a monster, I'm something more...something better.: Zero closed his eyes as he pressed his right hand to his core, a serene smile light his pretty face. : Enough about me, did anything happened while I was out?:

: Well, nothing much expects Ciel to be even more worried than usual. Oh, and we were being hacked…but there's nothing we can do about It.: Alouette wrote, the Neo-Arcadian force were now crawling in their systems, and the resistance didn't have the resources to fight back.

As always.

Zero's eyes grew wide; then he closed them as he intently focused. Some purple tendril radiated from him, staining the nanite rich water violet. It went up the empty connectors, and then Cerveau's dear computer… was taken over?

The next Thing, Alouette knew the recovery tube was draining, and Zero pulled himself out. The legendary reploid then unplugged him-self, drained out as much water from his system as he could. Recalibrated, he found his helmet, gauntlet, jacket, weapons and boots and stalked out the door. Revealing two more marks on his back before he threw his red Kevlar jacket on.

He… was not supposed to be able to do that; only Cerveau had the administrative right to release a patient from the tank. Not the patient himself.

Alouette ran after him. "Zero! Wait!" she called out as she tried to catch the runaway. If Cerveau came to know Zero was out!

Oh, little Alouette feared for her life… And Zero.

Zero paused and turned back, looking at Alouette with his familiar neutral mien.

"Zero, you can't run out like this…"

"Why?"

He… asked in a very sweet, charming voice. Still deep, but definitely not masculine at all.

Zero had always been described as having a deep voice filled with authority. And indeed, it had been right on the mark. Now though, Zero's chosen hertz were...higher.

"Well …ah… You're at 80%, and…and …ah…you're a girl now?"

"I went on missions much lower than that." She informed the child-like reploid as she donned her iconic helmet and turned her heel. "And just keep my gender, what I just did and whatever else I told you a secret. It's not… I don't even know why I told you so much." She grumbled a bit, sounding like her old self. "Don't go and spread it around, is that clear?" she gave Alouette a very hard look. And the little reploid quickly nodded.

"I can't hear you."

"Yes, s-sir…"

Zero nodded. "Good." And started to walk again.

"Wait! You don't know what you're doing!" Alouette squeaked as she ran to catch up with the legendary reploid again.

"I'm just going to stop the Hacking, no big deal…" Zero dismissed. "Alouette, do you know where the computer room is?" the legend asked the smaller blond as she walked.

"It's Ciel's room… Zero, what did you do the medical computer?" Alouette asked as she tried to keep up with Zero's longer and more efficient strides.

"I hacked it."

"But you were glowing and purple and…and you had tentacle growing out of you and-"

"And that's how I hack a computer," Zero answered dismissively…and then she stopped dead in her track, causing the child-like reploid to crash into her.

"Zero why-"

"Zero!"

"Oh hell! Zero, you survived!" two guards, Paon and the blond Egret, exclaimed.

Zero remained silent, her once open face now closed.

"I don't think you remember me, sir, But I was one of the reploid who was there when you crashed. Me and my partner thought you were done for." Paon started to explain. "Glad to see you online and running smoothly, sir."

Alouette was about to correct Paon when the blond heroine gently nudged her.

Right…this was a secret. She had to call Zero sir and 'he'…, so nothing much had changed.

"Anyway, were in quite a pickle now…were being hacked by the Neo-Arcadian force and…ah, I really don't want to drop it on you, especially after what happened, but."

Zero gestured to Paon; she already knew she was on it.

Paon and Egret beamed. "Great! So, Miss Ciel managed to pinpoint the hacker's location; it's in a hidden base in the desert." The blue-haired guard scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Ciel was about to send us out to get the guy and destroy his equipment, but…well, I ain't made for this type of mission. I mean c-Coucou…"

Alouette clutched her Socrates… The more soft-spoken of the two couldn't take it… He was now in the civilian's barrack, waiting for death.

For those Reploids who lost their will to live…nothing much could be done.

A moment of silence passed; Egret had put a comforting hand onto Paon's shoulder as the reploid struggle with grief, tears falling from his eyes despite his efforts at withholding them.

"I'm… I'm sorry, Sir… I…I know there were at war, and I know we many of us will not make it to the end but…"

Zero's usually cold, or blank eye's softened; she practically radiated compassion as she laid a firm yet gentle hand on the grieving reploid's other shoulder, surprising both guard and Alouette herself.

She didn't speak a single word…she didn't need to.

The next thing they knew, Zero was making her way to base gate number 8, her strides purposeful and quick.

Many things may have changed about Zero…but something wouldn't. And to Alouette, It was very reassuring.

* * *

Zero sighed as she leaned onto one of the terminals for Neo-arcadia's secret base computer…A.K.A., the water processing plant for the entire fancy refugee camp, A.K.A. Neo-arcadia. The 'Virus' proving itself to be more useful than just a 'shut off' application for the Asimov code and the emotional suppression program all reploid had. It was a very fantastic hacking and recovery tool if put in the right hands.

Like hers.

Oh, and as for the hacker?

X himself…

She frowned. Was it really Ciel's plan? Or was the young girl but another puppet in this crazy play, led by none other than her dearest X. The implications were chilling… Nevertheless, Zero now had a way to end this mad game that had lasted for too long.

'Thank you X, Mother Sri-Isopanisad and Vasudeva-Prabhu for teaching me how to be more than a mere machine…. And thank Krishna for reminding me of everything in time.' She prayed in gratitude… remembering the names of those who had helped her grow beyond Wily's programming, beyond what had been expected of her.

It was still sort of new and not really. She felt back and still discovering who she was and what it meant to be Krishna conscious…a term Mother Sri-Isopanisad, a sweet black-skinned woman, had used.

Krishna conscious… God Conscious…her old creator must be spinning in his grave.

'Ah… I think I just solved the energy crisis.' Zero smirked to herself, idly wondering how many RPM the old corps must be spinning at the moment.

Zero closed her eyes…she still had over a hundred years' worth of memories to defragment and uncorrupt…on top of the entire Veda-base and the one petabyte worth of ancient knowledge collected by the departed Vaishnava's to clean up, compile and somehow publish. Still, it was better than being lost, confused, and (over)used.

Obliviously, she now had her goal in life…a goal that had nothing to do with killing X (hopefully), killing maverick and saving the world from Sigma.

Zero opened her purple eyes and sighed, letting a small smile lit her lips …it felt so good to know that there was something more to her than being the world's most efficient and deadly war machine. The only thing that could destroy X were he to turn maverick.

Like…now, for example.

She was a spirit soul, a tiny part and parcel of God. In essence, it meant that she was neither Zero nor a reploid; she had her eternal identity separate from mater. Her eternal existence was meant for the pleasure of God, Lord Krishna and his devoted servant.

In other words, she was the servant of God's servant. And while it went against everything modern humanity stands for, Zero would always choose this over being Wily's pot shot to Light's success...and a war machine made solely for destruction.

Unlimited lines of codes ran across all the terminals interspersed with articles about the political climate, reported maverick and anything X related that had happened during her hundred-year retirement. Zero lazily analyzed them all as she planned her next move…and then she realized she was never a big Planer.

This had always been X's department…

She missed him…terribly so.

At this moment, she knew exactly how Vidhura felt about his brother Drtharastra…but For Zero, the feelings ran even deeper…

But, if X proved himself to be too far gone…

 _'Oh, Gauranga, I hope it won't have to end like this. You're desire to flood the world with Krishna-Kripa… But for this, and for humanity to have fighting, chance, I need X alive and of sane mind. But how am I supposed to reach him? He locked himself in his tower, Ciel still thinks of me as a sentient weapon against Neo-arcadia, and I can't really just walk in the place with folded palm, begging for mercy… I would be shot on sight.'_ Zero rubbed the bridge of her nose. ' _Krishna, it used to be so simple, you know. There's a maverick, go kill it…there's a reploid, go save it…but now having the rest of Humanity chant Your Holy names feels like an impossible task.'_

And then, she realized. She had already infected Alouette. 'I just need to cultivate her for a bit… Maybe Ciel could also be infected.' Then she returned her attention to the scrolling line of the terminals….those computers were vital to Neo-arcadia; if Zero had listened to this young girl and did what she desired…

 _'There would have been hell to pay. Ciel, what are you playing at…'_ but then, X had been the one Hacking the base. When did X learn how to hack and why did he let himself get caught?

Actually…the whole thing about the energy crisis sounded bogus also. Reploids could recharge using the glorious sun. So to say that they were going through an energy shortage was like saying the sun had stopped shining. 'And last I saw, Surya-Narayan was still driving his chariot around the universe…forget what Ciel is doing, what the hell is X doing.'

She had expected her partner to lead humanity to a golden age…now she realized she had been wrong on many, many levels.

The scrolling stopped, the mega-computer had finished defragmenting and compiling the sacred files Zero bore, the only hope for a really bright future. She could already recognize titles of e-books she had read and Audio files she had listened to as she learned of the true meaning of life under the care of Mother Sri-Isopanisad and her husband.

Zero closed her eyes as a look of pain twisted her pretty features. Those two great souls were gone, returning home, back to Godhead ages ago… Zero was now completely alone, tasked to perform the impossible again.

 _'But wasn't the great Acharya also tasked with the impossible? To preach to the west?"_ and he had succeeded…it was only due to the Purge of all 'cults' that had 'destroyed' the beautiful empire he had built….no, not an empire. A beautiful, well-constructed house were all the world could live.

 _'No, that house is not destroyed…just evicted and its occupant tortured. What happened, it's just Krishna giving our due…and now my lord desire for his names to be chanted again by those who are innocents.'_ Meaning around twenty-million humans and 'reploids.'

Maybe.

And she was all alone to do it…a legend who had turned rogue, a Hero of old who did not fit with his description anymore.

The task made finding X after the Eurasia crash seems like a walk on the high-way. But still, if God willed it, it would happen. And it was prophesized that the Hare Krishna Maha-mantra would be chanted in all towns and villages…

 _'Well, there's only one city now…and a 'village.'_ Zero closed her eyes as, once again, the feeling of complete failure flooded her.

When she had turned herself to Karly and Doctor Albert Weill, she had expected not to wake up….and if she did; it would have been to a world free of the maverick virus, the world X had dreamed of for so long.

Not a desert filled with mechanoid of different shapes and sizes…and a single city ruled by a clearly maddened X.

A sane X would never hunt down his own race with such extreme prejudice. Nor would he make an army of soulless war machine based on his own appearance. And after reading through a hundred years' worth of newspaper to catch up, it was clear her husband's sanity had been slowly and methodically breaking over decades of war politic and blatant racism.

Thank goodness, Zero had the cure for that.

_'I just need to find some time to write everything down… I need paper…plenty of paper…or maybe some asbestos fabric. Yeah, asbestos can't burn…but it's not human friendly…maybe palm leaves then.'_

But for this, she needed trees, but if she wanted trees, grass and whatever else was required, she needed rain.

 _'Thank God I know how to make it rain… I just need a full-day worth of peace and a few chanters…'_ and she already had one. She needed about twenty more.

Her shoulder's sagged under the weight of her mission…the most difficult to date.

"Ah Gauranga, Gauranga, Gauranga….please help me." She prayed with folded palm as she leaned on the console, feeling great relief from the Most Merciful One's guiding hands. Gone were the days when she would take shelter in her strength alone; she now had someone infallible backing her up… _'I can't fail…even if it looks impossible, it will work…it has to.'_

Disconnecting herself from the central console, the last Vaishnavi purposefully strode out of the main computer room, reinstalling the firewall on her way out.

She also left a bit of infection to end all hacking attempts before they could even start. No point in leaving a place the worst than when she came in, she was not a force of destruction after all. Not anymore.

* * *

 _'What do we have here?'_ Fairy Leviathan playfully wondered under the greenish water of the underground oasis. _'Isn't it the one who crushed fnaf and bishi? My, he's prettier than I thought.'_

And indeed, even though the murky water, Leviathan could clearly behold his pretty face as Zero kneeled one knee by the water's edge. His palms were folded, his eyes closed as he prayed in front of the ancient submarine, an aura of peace and serenity emanating from the red legend.

 _'Aww, he's sooo pretty! And strong and…oh, what a shame I have to kill him now.'_ She lamented. She didn't want to destroy mister dreamy, but the laws were the laws. He had trespassed on the secret oasis base/last 'clean' reservoir of water in the world at large… _' well… He didn't destroy any computer…He just terminated some programs. No… I think I will let it slide for now. Let me at least give him a warning…and maybe a short spare.'_ Her decision was made, the ice guardian emerged from the water.

Zero didn't even react to her; such was his absorption in his…meditation? Prayers?

 _'What is he praying at?'_ Did she wonder? Probably not master X; those two were supposed to be equals in every way. Leviathan had heard the legend of Zero often, and while she knew of his myth…he was still shrouded in mystery.

So to see the Red Hero of legend in the 'flesh'! It gave the blue guardian's goosebumps.

Leviathan moved closer, her movement a tad clumsy out of her element…and in her heels.

Zero was so pretty, even for such an old and obsolete model… but there was something in the blond reploid that just seemed to call out to the ice guardian, something very old and ancient.

A shiver went up to her nanite tube as she leaned onto her spear, unable to rip her sight away from the beautiful blond. There was something about his position, his aura…something…

Something sacred…and extremely attractive.

Leviathan could see his lips moving, a small murmur emanating from them…

 _'So…what is mister dreamy whispering?'_ Leviathan thought, being very well versed in lip reading. _'Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare…Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare…what in the world is that? Never heard a prayer like that.'_ It sounded like Sanskrit… _'Maybe Ganesherif and Hanumachine would recognize it…when we finish fixing them up.'_

She cleared her throat loudly, her spear right in Zero's face.

Finally, the red legend and the resistance dog opened their eyes, revealing a pair of glowing amethysts.

Leviathan froze…she had never seen eyes like this in all of her short life.

He stared at her…just looking with those big purple eyes…there was no aggression, no fear: nothing but some slight surprise. But Leviathan had the distinct feeling that he was looking right through her, beyond her frame, beyond the DNA-soul…he was looking right at her.

Zero tilted his head as he moved the spear point away from his face…

Leviathan gave a sweet, chilling smile, trying to hide how the red legend affected her. _'And he's still cute as a button, curse my unsteady heart.'_ "You know this is a secret base, isn't it? A private military compound." She said instead

He grunted as he got to his feet, standing a bit shorter than heel wearing leviathan. Now that he was not neatly folded, the blue guardian could now fully appreciate how delicate yet well build he was; she could see tightly wounded 'muscles' under the black carbon fibre reinforced skin remain on standby. _"Harpy and I have some competition, it seems.'_ The ice guardian observed. Once again, the red legend really was a pretty thing that hid steel...a very, very pretty thing made to look a deceptively delicate as possible.

Zero tilted his head, his gaze never leaving leviathan's own. He looked…stricken.

Finally, he opened his mouth and spoke. "You…look like him."

Correction…she spoke.

Leviathan put a hand on her hip…of course; all the pretty ones had to be F-models. "Like who? Master X?"

Zero nodded, her eyes now soft. "All the guardians were based on his frame…right?"

The blue guardian smirked. "Not merely based on him, we are his perfect copies made for the sole purpose of assisting him in his quest to keep the remaining humanity safe from maverick." She boasted. "I am fairy leviathan, the ice guardian of master X." she gave a playful bow, still keeping Zero well in her sensors.

"I see….you may call me Z-"Zero paused. "You may call me Zero…but Draupadi is preferred."

Leviathan's raised a perfect brow. "Draupadi? So, not only did you change your gender, but you're also changing your name?"

"Who said I switched?" Zero-shot back.

"Legend said that you are Zero, an M-type reploid with a deep voice and no mercy for his enemies…as confirmed by the battle nerd and Bishi."

Zero's face blanked.

"Fighting Fefnir and sage Harpuia."

A light came back on. "Ah…yes, them." She trailed off, her eyes downcast. "Leviathan…I know I have no right to ask, but…how is he? How's X? "The legendary Hero (ine) asked, her posture radiating concern for the Master of Neo-Arcadia.

_'Is she? Oh my Gosh! She is, she's worried about Master X!'_

Leviathan crossed her arms. "That's not for you to know…as you have just said. And no matter how cute you are, I will not betray his trust." Yes, even as an f-model, Zero had quite an effect on Leviathan. _'Now I know why Fefnir was so eager to fight her again.'_

It was Zero's turn to cross her arms. "I…see. It was nice to speak with you then; I hope with can meet again in better circumstances." She then turned her heels and proceeded to walk away.

Leviathan, unwilling to let her go just yet, hopped in front of the Red ripper, her spear right onto Zero's chest, almost piercing the red Kevlar vest. "Hey, not so fast, trespasser! I can't let you walk away scot-free."

Zero looked at the spear and back to Leviathan, looking remarkably unbothered. "Let me guess…you want to kill me." It was not a question.

"No, not kill you. Maybe rough you up a little, though." Leviathan teased as she tilted her head. "I'm not into fighting, unlike those two…but for you, I wouldn't mind playing a bit." She gave a coy smile; she could already see Zero, sabre out, hair majestically flowing in the breeze as she fought with grace and terrifying strength. A shiver ran through her nanite tube…, more than ready for a very satisfying fight.

Zero looked at her, no, through her. Her purple eyes were impassive and heavy. She then nonchalantly took Leviathan's spear…and twisted out of the ice guardian's hand, turning the powerful weapon against her.

The next thing Leviathan knew, she was on her back, zero's boot on her neck and two spears aimed at her vital points.

'How did-! When did she-?! I didn't even see her move!'

" Fairy Leviathan…" Zero spoke with undeniable authority. "I'm sure you are a capable fighter, especially in your element. But you and I are not on the same level. You've let your guard down the moment you saw me underwater, you let your guard down when you spoke to me, and even now, when you had me in a disadvantageous position, your guard was still down. And thus, I could easily kill you with your blade." The legendary commander spoke as she mercilessly dressed down one of X's elite warriors, pressing the nitrogen spear to her core for emphasis... "Your heels are also a liability; you can't move as nimbly on land as in your element…you need to work on and manoeuvrability and." Zero gave a wry smile. "And please, stop ogling your opponent; it makes you look like a complete newbie… And I already have someone waiting for me." Zero's cheeks reddened at the last part, and yet she never lost this fearsome countenance of her.

"So, who's the lucky one?" Leviathan spoke as if she wasn't in the most embarrassing position in her life. 'She just saw through me…'

She wanted a good fight with a powerful opponent...not to be made a fool!

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Zero backpedalled, grinding her boot a bit harder on Leviathan's neck.

"Yes…pretty please with lots of E-crystals and an e-tank?" Leviathan painfully begged as she hoped Zero would not crush her neck.

Zero's violet eyes never left her, but Leviathan knew the legendary reploid was calculating the pros and cons. _' I was just teasing her…why would she even consider it?"_

"If I tell you who it is, will you give me a favour of my choice?"

Leviathan remained silent for a tiny bit; on the one hand, Zero could ask for anything of her. But on the other, she had the great opportunity to gather some dirt and a potential chip to control the powerful reploid.

It wasn't that Master X didn't know where the resistance base was; he was just too lenient on them…and whatever humans dared siding with the scraped reploids.

"Deal! So spill it, who's your boyfriend?" Leviathan demanded from her disadvantageous position, hiding how…in both fear and awe, she was at the living legend.

"X…"

Leviathan's eyes grew a fraction wider. And if not for Zero's boot, her mouth would hang open. _'Oh trash this… I have no chance now.'_

"I don't know my own legend, but I have a feeling X may have omitted that part…" Zero stepped off the blue spear wielder. "Listen, leviathan… I have no desire to make yet another enemy. Especially one who looks like X." she planted Leviathan's ice-control rod in the ground, making the blue guardian wince.

"Please don't do that…" the Leviathan mumbled as she got off from the ground, too shaken at the revelation to do more. "And if Master X's is your lover, then why do you oppose him?" She asked as she got to her feet, still on guard.

"I just remembered who I was not even three hours ago… But I'm still against his choice to cull the reploid over a lie." Zero revealed as she retracted her spear, her face darkened. "Leviathan, I know where your loyalty stands, but do not be blind to what is happening around you. X…something is wrong with him, My X…he would never put the need of humans above that of reploids, nor the opposite."

"Yeah, well. You weren't with him for over a hundred years…you left him to fend for himself against legions of mavericks and...the calamity. Why the hell did you do that for anyway, lovers quarrel?" Leviathan accused the ancient warrior, trying to get as much information as possible.

Zero closed her eyes as a look of sheer pain twisted her features. "What's this? The great commander of the Zeroth Unit showing weakness?' Leviathan thought with some shock. She could have gotten a shot at the reploid in red…but something told her not to.

"No… It was…necessary. But…the result was not as expected." Zero choked out, her voice chip glitching. "I had hope X would be strong enough to keep going without me." A wry smile painted her lips. "I guess… I underestimated how the wars affected him… Leviathan, did he…does X have or had anyone else in his life? Any close friend or…"

Leviathan, taken by complete surprise by this type of question, took some time to answer. She crossed her arms over her chest. "No…X…master X only has us, his guardians. But…our relationship is not like yours. And I doubt anyone could reach him now…the master of Neo-arcadia does not see anyone." Well, she and her…siblings? I would sometimes see the Azure legend once a week for a debriefing. But beyond that… Master X would remain alone in the Nexus of Neo-arcadia…

" Does he cry sometime?" Zero asked.

Leviathan raised a brow inquisitively. "Cry? I don't even think he was programmed with emotions."

Zero clenched her fist as she closed her eyes once more. "I see… Leviathan, can you give him a message?"

The blue guardian and the only 'girl' of the elite unit looked at Zero. For an enemy, her conversation with the resistance dog had been…pleasant and eye-opening. The red legend was not showing any type of aggression (unprovoked, that is.) and was not controlled by confused anger…she had been civilized and…

And she definitely cared for her lover, even after more than a hundred years. He cared for Master X were ok in her book…as long as she didn't destroy any critical facilities anymore.

"Sure, I'll be your messenger of love." She put her hands on her hips, and she gave a playful mien.

An amused smile lit up Zero's usually neutral face. "Tell him to stop acting like a fool; I will take care of him soon and…" She licked her lips. "And tell him to chant Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare, Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare." She recited out loud, the sound vibration touching something deep in Leviathan's core.

"What does it mean, and…what do you mean by taking care of him?" The mermaid-like general asked…there were so many ways to interpret taking care of someone.

"I mean what I said, I will be there soon, and I will take good care of him. And what I chanted was the everlasting peace formula. It makes people happy." She answered curtly with a bright smile. "It has been a pleasure, Fairy leviathan; I hope we will meet in better circumstance soon." She bade the general goodbye, and the Red legend was teleported out, leaving leviathan alone with more questions than answers.

"Are all old reploids this cryptic?" she asked herself as she yanked her spear out of the solid rock Zero had jabbed it into. "Well… I guess it makes it more interesting then."


	3. spreading like wild fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emotions run high, the truth peaked his head, The maddened emperor sit at his accursed throne, the virus takes hold of the little bird and the maidservant of God is about to change the way the resistance run.
> 
> what shall be the result? Read on dear one, for auspiciousness awaits.

"Zero! Your back!" Alouette all but jumped out of her seat as the Hero of the hour re-materialized on the tele-pad. Not even looking the worst for wear (well, there was some damage, but to Alouette's eyes, they did not exist at all.). Ciel all but wept at the sight, shamelessly running up to the red ripper and throwing her arms around her neck. "You didn't, why did you…Please don't do this again!" The de facto leader of the resistance all but cried in sheer relief.

Zero looked down at the young genius; her face remained impassive…calculating.

"Zero, what happened to you? When did you wake up? Why did you go on a mission without telling me? You could have gotten-"

"How did you know we were hacked?" Zero asked abruptly, revealing to Ciel what had changed.

It took a moment for Ciel to recover from this unexpected development.

"Ciel, how did you know?"

"Zero your-"

"Just answer my question." The red legend snapped.

 _'Uh-oh, Zero's not happy…'_ Alouette noticed; Zero held herself on alert. She was looking at Ciel with angry eyes as if she was an enemy. The little reploid remained quiet, knowing that she could get more information as long as she remained unseen.

Ciel recoiled from Zero's intense leer. "I…I received a tip from…from an anonymous person, he told me the computers had to be destroyed and-"

"Where was he? Could you track down his Location?" Zero asked…no, demanded to know. Her eyes narrowed.

"N…No, No, I couldn't…"

"Did he give you a name? Was there anything you could have used to identify him?"

"No! Zero, why are you asking me all those questions," Ciel asked as she took a step away from the fuming blond.

The legendary re Heroin clenched her fist…and let out a vent through her nose.

"Did he wrote, Anon. underscore Upper case X ?"

Ciel's eyes grew even wider…" Yes...he did, but How did... Oh…No...Don't…Don't tell me."

"Yes…He played both of us," Zero revealed, her arms crossed. " Ciel…do you know the purpose of the Hidden base?"

Ciel shook her head, fearful of the answer.

"That's the last clean water source for Neo-arcadia, and by extension, the resistance base…" Zero ominously revealed. "Those controlled the pumps…if I would have destroyed them…"

Ciel brought her hand to her mouth, looking even paler and sick. "Oh God…" She fell to her knees.

Zero closed her eyes…and left. "If there's another emergency, you know where to find me." she of-handedly said.

Alouette looked at Zero's retreating back, she would love to follow the Heroin, but she had a rebel leader to calm down…she would track down Zero Later after the reploid had cooled down a bit.

* * *

In Neo-Arcadia, up in the central tower/sanctuary, the sharp and rhythmical sound of leviathan's heels and the argument between her brother units was the only thing to be heard. She had a message to deliver…and an opportunity to meet the reclusive Master of the last bastion of humanity.

 _'I hope he's in a good mood. Otherwise, I don't even think Harpi will be able to reach him.'_ Speaking of which, the green guardian was there in the hallway, his antennas twitching as he scanned the atmosphere for rain…not that any drop had fallen naturally over a hundred years. Beside him was Fefnir, the fighter of the group…he looked bored out of his mind as he leaned on the 'marble' column.

"Hari…I already told you, your system glitched." Fefnir lazily told his…colleague. "There's no raincloud…and the barometric pressure didn't change. It's all in your head."

"I know what my radar said Fefnir…And I didn't say it was about to rain, just the pressure changed _as if _it had been about to rain." Harpuia specified.

"Yeah…in other words, you glitched." Fefnir gave a toothy grin. "Anyway, as I was saying, I can't wait to face Zero again; the Bot really got me fired up, you know." The red fighter let out a dreamy sigh. "I can still feel the burns of the last face of, can't wait to get reignited again by that true warrior."

"Keep it to yourself, Fefnir…" Harpuia cringed. "This…Is Zero we are talking about. The greatest traitor in History-"

"The breaker Of Master X precious, precious heart. The first sinner, the walking plague!" Fefnir dramatically finished with a flourish. "Har, we all know you care a crap tone for master X…but please, don't bring it to the battlefield. Besides, it's not like you didn't have this stupid, very satisfied smirk on your face after your own fight, bro."

" Leave your sick masochism on the battlefield." Harpuia made a face as Fefnir grin. "And don't put me in the same category as you."

"Hey! birds of a feather flocks together, and I wouldn't mind a bit of a...tag team action against Zero." Fefnir grinned; it was clear he had some fantasy about it.

"So, no welcoming party?" Leviathan decided to end his particular conversation before it would degenerate. "You know, I thought I was an important part of the team."

The red and green guardian of Neo-arcadia turned their attention toward the only 'girl' of the group. Fefnir sporting a huge fang-filled grin. "Hey Levi, how was your date with Zero? Was it satisfying?" at the side, Harpuia rolled his eyes.

Leviathan stretched her arms in the back, putting them behind her head. "Oh yes, absolutely, she had me pinned to the ground faster than I could clock it; she took my spear also and nearly pierced my core with my own weapon." She spoke nonchalantly with quite a bit of sarcasm, waiting for her two co-models to compute what she had just said.

Of course, truth be told...she would mind being in the same position, to be driven to the ground by the rogue legend, the beautiful Zero was nothing short then a dream come true, and this power...this raw power...

It drove Leviathan _mad_. she wanted _more_.

Fefnir barked in laughter. "Wow, that fast? Aww man, he held back with me, not fai-"Fefnir's eyes grew wider, Leviathan smirked, as was Harpuia.

"What do you mean 'she'?"

"I think she meant Zero…and I do believe you own me a thousand Zenni." Harpuia smugly replied.

Fefnir rolled his eyes. "How did you know? He…he ain't girl shape, and his voice ain't sweet and sunshiny, I swear, he…she…they could make an entire platoon quack in their boot by speaking normally. Are you sure lev? Like-"

"A hundred percent. She even calls herself Draupadi now." The blue copy of X is confirmed. Not that Fefnir was listening to her, Harpuia having taken all of his attention

"In our last confrontation, I had a…well; I sort of discovered this fact as I was driving their head into solid stones… I'm still surprised as to how they survived it." Harpuia smirked.

"Anyway." Once again, Leviathan interjects to stop the conversation from degenerating more than it had any right to. "Zero's a cute girl with a lovely voice now. I went, I saw her, she overpowered me, and now I have to report to master X." the blue guardian spoke briskly before her demeanour turned a bit glum. "How is he?"

"Surprisingly joyful," Phantom spoke as he exited the Nexus, himself sounding quite astonished by this development. "I think he may have been smiling."

"No, you got to be kidding me," Fefnir exclaimed. "Master X smiling. Why?"

The Shinobi crossed his arms. "This…is not for me to tell you."

"Phantom… do you think he can see me right now?" Leviathan asked her more discreet colleague.

"Why? Master X, the ruler of Neo-arcadia, is a very busy man Leviathan; he does not have time to entertain you…not anymore." The entire atmosphere turned grim…the four guardians were well aware of their original template's general mood and how he had grown more recluses with each passing year.

 _ **"X…there's something wrong with him."**_ Zero's words echoed through Leviathan's memory bank.

Nobody wanted to admit it…but there was something wrong with their leader. A type of melancholy that would not leave him, an aura of constant pain that would unmistakably shine through his cold veneer, smiles that would not reach his dull eyes… and no tears were shed for the fallen. Those dark feelings were so strong; even the guardians began to share them…that is before he cut all communication save for what was strictly necessary.

And then came his order to cull the reploid population to a manageable level, for they were draining resources.

First of all, the reploids population, unlike the human population, was always stable (theoretically) since they could not reproduce as humans would. And quite frankly, it was a good thing since space was limited. And second, reploids didn't need that much energy since they could recharge in the ever blazing sun…

Or, the older reploids could…those the cataclysm had eradicated with extreme prejudice. And thus, the majority of synthetic life now could only recharge either in a pod –something that not many could afford anymore- Or E-crystal and E-tanks –two things that would drain plenty of resources to manufacture.

The order had been given without emotion…nor even with any hesitation. It was as if Master X saw the whole thing as trivial…impersonal even. And they, his four guardians', were bound to his words…

For some reason, it was only Leviathan and maybe phantom that had picked up on that fact.

"Yoshou Leviathan." Phantom broke her out of her reveries. "Is there any reason why you want to speak with Master X?"

"I do" Leviathan nodded." Before she left, Zero gave me a message to deliver. It's specifically addressed to Master X." Phantom's eyes grew wider behind his mask; it seemed he was unaware of Zero's gender reveal. Never the less, the most professional of the Guardian did not react more than that to the news.

"What is the message?" he asked instead.

"She told Master X to stop acting like a fool; she'll be there to take good care of him soon and…"

"And?" The Shinobi asked, his posture tense.

"And she told him to chant Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, and be happy." Leviathan recited, the foreign words resonating in the mausoleum like confines of the nexus antechamber.

The other three guardians listen to the mantra with rapt attention. "Hare Krishna…" Fefnir recited to himself while Harpuia's antenna began to twitch, the green wind guardian was probably cross-referencing and analyzing every single modulation of the prayer with known songs and hymns of the world...not that the registry had been comprehensive in the first place.

"Yoshou…did she told you what it was?" The ninja of the group asked, now on edge from the mantra.

"Zero told me it was the everlasting peace formula…and before you start to panic, no, there no virus attached to it. It's just some Sanskrit words, nothing more." She repeatedly assured Phantom about that fact.

Not even Ganesherif knew what it meant…shockingly enough.

"Yoshou, it could be a kill-phrase…" Phantom grimly informed the Ice-based general.

Leviathan waved his concerns off. "Oh, I doubt it. And I have a reason to believe it."

"Care to share it?" Harpuia asked.

"It's a secret between us girls…something you guys won't understand." She dismissed as she made her way to the heart of the Nexus…the grand doors were adorned with baroque styled cherubs…some of which resembling skeletons at a certain angle. Leviathan brought her hand to a hidden scanner; once her designation was read, the door opened, admitting the ice guardian to the lair of the Master of Neo-Arcadia.

The room was filled with static electricity, and the sound of the numerous servers and the world's strongest Wi-Fi antenna gave Leviathan some vertigo. There was no ambient light saved for the blinking LED and the natural light streamed in from the sun-well illuminating Master X 'throne' and the Master of the Last bastion.

It was more like a monstrosity made out of oversized cables and consoles…basically the cities central neural hub. Sitting there, connected to the mega-computer, was master X., his eyes half-lidded as he compiled and treated all the data generated by the last safe heaven on earth. He wore a long blue robe that hid his frame, a cross emblazoned on his front, and a data-halo shone above his head, another connection to the city he served for a full century...more even.

"All glories to Light." Leviathan knelled, keeping her head bowed, unable to bear neither master X doll-like figure…nor his emotionless red eyes.

_'Red eyes…why do I feel it means something important.'_

"And all glories to Cain." The azure ruler replied to the old and overused greeting. "Fairy Leviathan…How is Zero?" Master X asked without any inflection.

The ice guardian paused…were to start.

"My mission to stop the destruction of-"

"I know how your mission went; I just want to know about Zero."

 _'Right…he's Zero's lover.'_ and since Zero had been as good as decommissioned for...a bit over the same time Master X ruled Neo-arcadia, it was oblivious her boyfriend wanted to have some news.

"Zero is fine,…And an F-model, apparently," Leviathan informed the Master of Neo-arcadia…there was just no way to tell this news without sounding extremely awkward in front of the brain behind the city.

Master X remained impassive at the new development. "I see… You seemed to have fared better against her than your co-model." He observed without giving anything of how he felt.

"She…took me by surprise." She admitted to her template. "I should have been more careful." She could still hear Zero's lecture and her foot on her throat. And the power that lurked under her black synth-skin.

"Why didn't she kill you?" The master spoke with mark wonder. "Did you run away like the rest?"

"No…I didn't run away. Zero told me she didn't want another enemy…especially one that looks so much like you...master."

Finally, Master X showed some expression…his eyes went marginally bigger. "I see…that's-"He stopped himself from speaking further.

_'Why do I have the feeling he was about to say 'unfortunate'?'_

"Anything else?"

"I think she still lo-"

"Anything else?"Master X's voice raised half a decibel higher as he cut her off. In essence, he had just snapped at Leviathan. The blue guardian…his female copy, flinched.

_'Ouch…poor Zero.'_

"Yes…she had a message for you, Master."

Master X remained silent, listening.

"The message is…" and then…her mouth began to move by itself. "Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare…"

An oppressive silence descended upon the expansive divine server room. And If Leviathan would be honest with herself, she had the impression Master X was…stunned into silence. He looked like it also.

"She told me it was the everlasting peace formula…it makes people happy." The blue guardian spoke as if she hadn't been controlled by something much, much more significant than her.

Master X gave a slow blink as if trying to compute what had just happened.

"Oh yeah, She also told you, 'Stop acting like a fool, I will take good care of you soon."

Once those words left her mouth, a tension she hadn't realized was there lifted…and she saw something only legends spoke of.

Master X…smiled. Not one of those fake celebrity smiles. But a genuine, relieved smile.

"Anything else, Leviathan?"

The blue guardian chewed on her lips. "Well…was Zero always a girl?"

"It's complicated…"

 _'Once again with the cryptic answers…'_ Leviathan almost puffed her cheeks.

"Is that all?" In other words, Master X was tired of her.

"Yes."

"You are dismissed then."

* * *

Back at the resistance base, Alouette was making her way as quickly as possible to Zero's room. Ciel had sent her out, apologizing to the child-like reploid for what she had seen and not to worry about it; everything was fine.

Obliviously, it wasn't…Ciel had almost fallen for a hacker's trick. A hacker that may or may not be X. Thankfully, Zero was pretty smart and had saved the day again!

So now, Alouette wanted to be with Zero, maybe she would be more open with her since…Well, Alouette wouldn't call them friend, but she felt the red Reploid trusted her. Which was why she was now standing in front of her door, listen to see if the Heroin was in or not.

She was in, as proven by her boots by the door. There was also this very…distinct noise coming from inside. It sounded as if…

Alouette's eyes grew wider, Zero…Had muted her voice box, but the sound of silent sobbing still met her audio.

Whatever had happened back there…it had been bad enough to make zero cries!

 _'What type of horror happened to her? Maybe…there still more broken things in Zero…maybe I should get Cerveau.'_ Alouette clutched her cat plush closer to her little chest.

When she had first seen Zero, the robot master had come off as someone who was cool-headed, seemingly emotionless and who would not hesitate in front of an enemy; he would always aim for the kill, just as his legend had told. Now, though…

She was crying in her room…Zero was crying in her closet called a room.

 _'Well, the legends had been wrong about her gender; I'm sure it was also wrong about other things too!'_ Definitely not her heroism or her power…but maybe about her heart.

Taking courage, the little blond knocked on Zero's door, leaving behind all expectations, all preconceived notions. She was not about to see a legend…but a friend who needed a good, long hug.

She heard the red and black reploid go silent…then there was a sizzle, and then scramble to her feet and rush to the door, Opening it without any forewarning.

Alouette, who was still standing close, stood in awe at sight in front of her. Zero stood tall, her faces impassive save for some irritation…and she looked right above Alouette's head and around the hallway, scanning for any other reploids. Seeing that the course was clear, she gestured Alouette in.

The room Zero occupied was practically barren and claustrophobic in size. A Generator/converter hummed close to the thin mattress she would recharge on, and her sitting mat was at the other side.

There were no windows, and only a single half-clogged vent provided some air circulation. Alouette could see that Zero had tried and failed to clean it, for the dust was absolutely caked in.

 _'My rooms' bigger than this…poor Zero.'_ Alouette's little heart went to the red Legend. She deserved so much better.

Zero closed the door and removed her helmet. "Please take a seat." She gestured to the piece of carpeting. "What may I do for you, Alouette?" she leaned back on the opposite wall crossing, her arms crossed over her chest in a very typical 'Zero' fashion.

Alouette kneeled on the makeshift Zabuton; she still held Socrates close to her.

Zero seemed fine, but…

"…I heard you cry." A look of pure surprise decorated the Red Legend's pretty face.

"Really?"

Alouette nodded.

"How?"

"I know how a crying reploid sounds like…even muted." The little blond revealed. "Zero…what happened?"

Zero closed her eyes...and let herself slid down the wall. As she sat crossed legged, leaning her head on its grimy surface, Alouette could see that the red Hero looked …tired.

"What happened?" Zero gave a mirthless laugh. "Let's see…everything."

Following her heart, Alouette left the carpet and climbed in Zero laps, and gave her a big hug with Socrates. "It's alright, Zero… we all feel like this."

"Yeah…I noticed…" Zero mumbled as she hugged Alouette back. The smaller reploid could not help but notice how…hard the red and black Reploids body was. Not metal hard, but her frame was definitely made from a mix of synth-muscle and mechanical parts.

And yet…she was plenty present to hug. There was just something nice about Zero, something…right.

"Alouette?"

"Yes, Zero?"

"Did you ever…Did you ever were the cause of a…Have you ever had this situation where you go to recharge, expecting everything to be better the next day. But you wake up, and your house has burned down, and your loved one is acting like...like a M-Maverick?" Zero's voice glitched at the end of the sentence.

Alouette snuggled closer to the red ripper, taking her time to understand what she was trying to convey.

"A little but…Not on your scale." Legend said that Zero…had sealed him-herself away in an attempt to stop the Maverick Virus a hundred years ago. So Alouette definitely could understand how confusing and soul Crushing the whole situation must be for her.

Zero began to shake…to sob. "I hurt him…" She took a shaky breath. "I thought…I thought he could…I thought he…" the dam broke, and Zero pitifully sobbed over Alouette's head, her tears freely flowing from her eyes. "Oh, Echo…Echo…."

Alouette held Zero even closer as the Red legend unleashed the heavy grief she carried.

At this moment, the little reploid realized that Zero was really not all that different from the rest of the reploids; she would cry, feel despair, and be moved by events. She was not the emotional brick; the cold stone the legend would describe her as…there was nothing artificial about her, not in the feeling department.

Alouette closed her eyes; she could feel Zero's grief; heavy, ancient, a pain the little girl would probably never understand. And then…she felt some Inspiration to chant.

She went closer to Zero's audio receptor and began to sing.

~Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare~

~Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare~

She repeated over and over again, remembering how Zero had told her that this Mantra would make people happy. And since Zero was not happy at the moment...well, every illness had a cure.

Zero Hugged the little Reploid closer, rocking her in her powerful arms. Her sobbing did not subside…but Alouette could feel her smile and hear some laughter. It was like sunshine…her tears now cold and their nature the complete opposite of what they used to be.

And then…Zero also began chanting. And Alouette felt transported, Lifted out…flooded with great bliss…

At that moment…Alouette realized what she had been missing all her life.

Outside of Zero's door, the Cyber-elves living in the base, Coucou, Paon and Hibou were intently listening to the impromptu duet, their heart filling with hope and joy…and they soon dispersed once the room became silent, unwilling to incur the wrath of one Red Ripper.

* * *

"And here's my room!" Alouette joyfully spoke as she gently dragged Zero into the much bigger living space, to her, at least.

"Listen, Alouette. You don't need to give me your room; I'm fine with what I have." The Taller blond spoke meekly. She felt…drained and yet cleaner inside after her break down.

 _'When was the last time I cried so much?'_ She wondered, not regretting her decision to mod in some tear duct, now knowing their real purpose and powers. _'Right, when Mother Sri went back home back to Godhead with her husband.'_ She felt tears welling up again…' _hey, no…C'mon, it's not something sad…'_ Well...to be honest, it had been the worst time in her life, for it meant the start of twenty-five years in the Corrupted Veda-base, figuring out how to spread the ancient knowledge without the support of her Master.

So many things could have gone wrong. And if not by Krishna's intervention, Zero...would probably be preparing to kill her husband...and this knowledge would be gone for good.

"Zero?" She heard Alouette ask as she picked some clean bed sheets for Zero's use. "You're still sad?"

Zero shook her head. "No, it's…I'm just missing my Spiritual mother. That's all…"

"And Echo…"

The red warrior lowered her eyes.

"You know, it's ok to cry…you can sit here, I won't tell, I promise" The smaller blond showed a chair to Zero…it was a very simple one that could fold. Zero sat down, burying her face in her hands.

She may be strong physically…but the whole situation…

I reminded her of the whole Repliforce debacle and how her hands got stained. And the Eurasia crash…and Doppler town and everything relating to Sigma, _"No…what was done was done; it was just our karma'_ she sighed.' _Xiu…I will try to save you, but if you prove to be too far gone, then may Sri-Krishna have Mercy on you.'_

God had a plan, a perfect plan. She was simply his instrument.

Straitening up again, she looked around the youngest rebel's much bigger room.

There was a bed with a converter by its side, a single-window was cracked open, letting in some air, and there was a little make-shift desk were Alouette's half-finished doodle laid waiting for her final touch.

Obliviously, it was done on a tablet since trees were now an endangered life form.

It was of Zero…and the little reploid had added a pair of fluffy angel wings to her.

_'So cute…definitely off, but cute.'_

The walls were somewhat repaired, and they had been painted a very light shade of yellow, making the whole room appear bigger and brighter than it really was.

On the other side of the room, the legendary reploid watch as the sweet little soul made her a bed with all care and attention. It was still the bare minimum, but Zero knew it was not half moulded.

"You know…I have my own room." She told the little reploid.

"It's not a room; it's too small," Alouette argued back.

"I don't need more than that." Zero replied with a smile, thoroughly enjoying watching Alouette make her a bed with all her heart and Dedication. _'Oh Krishna, Please bless this soul. If only she treated you the same way she treats me, she would be well on her way back home.'_ Her smile widened. What was she saying? Alouette was well on her way out of this material world if the impromptu Sankirtan was any indication…and those three reploids and half a dozen Cyber-elves that had attempted to be sneaky.

Oh yes, her personal mission to save her life partner may very well fail, but her ultimate mission was well underway.

Alouette suddenly rose and whirled to face Zero. "Well, you may not mind it Zero, but I don't want my friend to live in a supply closet." She vehemently opposed.

"It's not a supply closet; the room is just tiny." And damp, and stuffy… And haunted.

"It _is_ a supply closet…" The little girl quietly groused.

Zero paused…. "Alouette…you think of me as a friend?"

Alouette nodded.

"Why?" she gave the girl no Reason to see her as such…really, the only three friends Zero had in her life either died by her hands, went M.I.A or insane.

"I dunno; I just like you a lot, okay?" The little reploid in pink lowered her eyes to the ground as she scuffed the floor with her barefoot, her pale cheeks turning a dusty pink.

Zero's heart melted, marvelling at this rare occurrence. _'And I thought only Xiu could cause my core to have a meltdown...And Krishna, of course.'_ Of course, one of the effects of the Maha-mantra was the softening of the heart. Not That Zero minded anymore.

It felt…right.

"I love you too, Alouette… And…If you don't mind a heartless war machine, then I would love to call you a friend also."

Alouette raised her head, a bright smile brightening the room even more and further melting Zero's heart. The smaller blond ran up to where the black and red reploid was seated, the taller woman kneeling with arms wide open. She caught her new friend as she all but jumped to her neck, embracing her with all of her little strength.

The old Zero, The monster doctor Wily wanted, would never have accepted this, using this as an opportunity to rip the innocent girl to shred. And the Red ripper would have sneered at the thought of hugging children and showing emotions…at least to those who were not X.

Draupadi, on the other hand…relished in the open show of affection. She now understood what mother Sri-Isopanisad and Vasudeva Prabhu meant when they told her that, by Nature, the soul desired to love and to be loved. For it was also the nature and desire of the Lord too, their source.

She embraced the fortunate child closer…If Only X could see her now…

"Tonight, let's share my room, okay?" The little girl spoke it as much authority she could muster. And Draupadi gave a long-suffering sigh.

Oh…when was the last time did she has the chance of acting out, of having fun?

"Oh, Alright. I'll stay here for tonight if it can make you happy." This elicited a squeal of pure joy from the smaller blond.

Yes…it was not meant to last, but for now, Draupadi desired to give this soul as much of her association as possible. Just to make sure the Bhakti Virus would nicely take hold.

* * *

A bit later and Draupadi realized that it was one of those days when the Neo-Arcadian army would leave them completely alone. Usually, she would be training to hone her technics and calibrate her reflex to a scalpel-like precision…now though?

Reading, chanting, meditating on the Lord and his pastime, Compiling files, making sure nothing was a scramble in the sacred Zip file…the Blond robot master knew she would have plenty more opportunity to hone her fighting skills. But now, she had better, more pressing things to do.

Unfortunately, it seemed that even the mega-computer could not make the sacred files readable. It simply was too old. And the encryption was obsolete.

 _'Alright...so I may need to write everything down then.'_ She was not a stranger to typing reports for hours on end, either with X or alone. She could pull it off...as long as she had a personal terminal and a sane husband who would not attack reploids without any good reasons...other than insanity.

Draupadi was sitting on her makeshift bed. It was definitely kinder on her hip joint and smelled better than the half-rotten mat they had given her, not out of malice but out of…' it's all we had.' sort of sentiment. Alouette had even given the Vaishnavi her power converter.

It was very nice of Alouette…but it also told Draupadi that the little reploid in pink had no opportunity to charge from the sun, nor could she consume E-crystals. For The legendary reploid would use a converter as a way to regain whatever was lost during her most hectic days since some time, hitting the canteen was simply not an option, Alouette had no reason not to, since she had plenty of time.

Alouette had assured her new friend that it was not that bad, X's soldier just damaged her a bit, and now her frame could not process E-crystals usually, nor could she charge in the sunlight either. So, until Ciel had the facilities, this would be how she would survive…

_'Oh, Krishna…please be merciful onto her.'_

Nevertheless, Draupadi had a sacred duty to perform. She counted the names, like Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu would more the six hundred years ago using her fingers.

Hours passed, and still no emergency, no mission…no Rebels having to be bailed out of trouble…

1728 repetition of the Maha-mantra later (approximately two hours.)And Draupadi finished her meditation. She felt better, her mind quiet, and her heart filled with bliss. 'Oh, that felt good. I need to spread that to the rest of the base.' She knew everyone was suffering from anxiety caused by a general ignorance about God…

 _'…Draupi, you sound like a fanatic…nobody likes fanatics.'_ And yet, she was well aware that this was the main problem of the world, not the so-called energy-crisis or the lack of greenery. _' Krishna gave each and every species the food they required in the quantity they deserved. Famine is just an artificial blight caused when unscrupulous man hoarding what does not belong to them.'_ Ergo…

"Zero?" Alouette spoke for the first time in two hours, Calling Draupadi by her old name.

"Yes, Alouette?"

The little reploid, who had been silently drawing at the desk, took some time to answer. "Wh-who's Eko?" she asked.

The robotic bodied Vaishnavi closed her eyes…of all the things the little bird could have asked her.

"Echo…used to be an old friend…" Much…much more than that.

"Like…a boyfriend?"

It took everything for Zero not to balk. _'How did she manage to…oh to hell with this.'_

"No…more than that." There…it was not common knowledge, but she had a feeling the little reploid would hound her until she knew.

Draupadi heard the tell-tell sound of a pair of aperture blowing wide open with surprise with her superior hearing.

"Zero…your legend said that you were a boy reploid…but, you're a girl now. Why?"

 _'Oh Krishna…one of those days, I need to know what exactly is my so-called legend.'_ "I always was a woman…I just forgot for about 268 years," Draupadi explained…things would have been much simpler if Doctor Cain would have left her voice box well alone. And if she would have remembered who she was under the layer of illusion, Wily covered her with all those years ago.

"Oh…I see. Is Echo a Reploid?"

 _'Oh Krishna, how am I to answer this one.'_ "No, Echo's a robot master, just like me." Obliviously, being a robot master or a reploid implied that something very wrong happened to them, something that went against the natural flow of material nature.

"Is it X?"

Draupadi opened her violet eyes. Alouette was looking at her from the top of her chair. The Vaishnavi vented out as she ran a hand over her face…for some reason, the little bird had this uncanny ability to get those particular worms out of their can.

"…Yes." The blond robot master could ask Alouette how she knew…but it was not at all important.

A moment of silence passed between the two blonds.

"I'm…Sorry." Alouette apologized. "It must be hard for you."

"Don't be." Draupadi dismissed. "It's our fate, just like what happened to you." She lowered her eyes. "I wish it were different, but…well, it's all in Krishna's hands." And God knew what would be the best; she was but an instrument after all.

Alouette frowned.

_'Oh no…Krishna, why?'_

"Krishna… it God, right?"

"Yes, He is the Supreme Personality of godhead, the controller of everything and he who knows everything past, present and future," Draupadi explained, glad the subject was moving away from her wayward husband and what was needed to happen.

"Can he change it? Can Krishna…"

"Krishna's not obliged to do what I want." Draupadi interrupted. "I…I already asked him. So it's up to Him now…" Man proposes, God, disposes.

"And you're not mad? Anxious?" The little reploid in pink asked, clearly shocked at this development.

"Yes…I'm mad at myself for being so insensitive to what X needed…and yet, I did what I thought was right at the time." A self-deprecating smile lit her lips. "And we all know how that worked out." But she couldn't regret it, for, during her sojourn in the undernet, she had found her spiritual family and the cure for all ill.

"It's no Krishna's fault……we have what we deserve; it's called karma. And no, I'm not anxious. I have God on my side. And whatever happens, it's all by His will…He's the greatest friend one could have. So why fear?" Draupadi explained, reminding her that her Navigator knew past, present future and knew what would be the best outcome, she just had to follow the path, and everything would be fine.

Alouette looked down, worrying her lips. "But…what if…what if He's wrong."

Draupadi looked at the little girl in pink. "Alouette…By definition, God cannot be wrong. He's God; he knows everything and can do everything. And he loves his devotees." Actually, As a Super soul, Narayana in the heart, He has neither a friend nor an enemy. And yet…His neutrality ended with a simple utterance of his Name. Still, Krishna was free to do as he pleased.

"But why does he let us suffer?" Alouette asked, clearly upset.

"Who said that's what He wants?" Draupadi shot back with a tilt of her head." The only thing Krishna wants is for us to be happy. The thing is, we can't be happy without him."

"Why?"

"Because Krishna is an ocean of pleasure, and he wants to share his happiness with us. The thing is, we turned our back to Him, wanting to have fun without our best friend. So, with a cooling ocean at our back, we are burning in a desert. "

"Why?"

Draupadi turned her violet eyes toward the little reploid. "Alouette…do you know what envy means?" he asked with a compassionate smile.

The little girl in pink began to think, scrunching her little brows as she taxed her hard drive. "umm...Envy means…you don't like that the other person has something better than you, and you want to have what he has?"

Draupadi nodded. "That's a good definition of jealousy. But envy is even worst; you just don't want what the other person has; you also want to destroy the person, to make sure he will never have more than you. You want that person to suffer, to pay for being better than you, you want to be better, you want to control, and you want to crush those who are under you so that you will always remain on top." Draupadi explained as she clenched her fist as if crushing something. She closed her eyes; she knew so many that fit this description.

Wily, Cain, Sigma. General and Colonel too, to a lesser extent. Those humans who hated reploids and those reploids who hated human's humans...all had envy.

Oh…and Lumine.

Herself also…Oh, it may not be as bad a Sigma and her creator, But Draupadi was well aware that this illness was also in her heart.

"We got envious of God…we wanted his position, his wealth, his fame, beauty, strength, intelligence…we wanted it so much, for ourselves that we edge God, our best friend, out."

"That was not very nice," Alouette murmured with guilt.

"No…Krishna didn't deserve what we did." Draupadi closed her eyes as she brought her knees to her chest, leaning her head against the wall. "We may have forsaken him, but He still cares for us."

"Why?" Alouette once again asked, causing Draupadi to smile.

"Because he loves us. And before you ask, true love doesn't need a reason but love." The doll-like Vaishnavi paused, realizing that maybe Alouette didn't know the real meaning of love since it had taken Draupadi to temporarily leave her body and meet two pure devotees on the web for her to realize it.

X had also put her n the right path…of course, their relationship had been infected with quite a bit of lust at the beginning. But still, some love had been there.

Enough love for Draupadi to sacrifice her life for him trice over...and enough love between them for X to rebuild her frame from scratch after the whole...

...

_'Well, it seems my memory still has a few holes here and there...no big lost, I remember what's important.'_

Alouette sat back in her chair, and the war build could hear her hard-drive working overtime.

"Zero…how do you know God loves us? Aren't we soulless machines?"

Draupadi bit back her reply; this…was another big can of worms she was not ready to open yet. She knew she had to but had no idea how to go about it without turning her new friend a Maverick. But knowing that too remained silent would just undo whatever progress Alouette had made, she prayed for the Lord to give her the intelligence needed.

"Alouette…do you have any desires?" She carefully asked.

Alouette did not answer just yet. "…Yes? But, it's just some chips,, right?"

"No, those are not chips; a mere mechanoid cannot have desires." _'Alright…time to blow this up.'_ "The ability to desire…it's something only a soul can have."

Alouette raised her head as she worked out the implication. "You mean…I…I have a-"

"No, You don't have a soul…you have a body," Draupadi explained with a smirk, taking too much pleasure at seeing Alouette's thought process.

"Huh?"

"Alouette, you are a soul in a mechanical body, not a body with a soul." The same thing applied to all that could experience birth, growth, multiplication and finally, death. _'Of course, it's a bit more blurry when in a robotic doll body.'_

At his revelation, a light shone from within Alouette as she processed what it meant. Draupadi had started this fortunate soul on her journey back home, back to Godhead…she just hoped nothing would block it.

"I'm…I'm a soul?"

The red and black Vaishnavi nodded with a bright smile. "Yes, you are…"

The little blond began to wring her little hands; once again, Draupadi could just hear her thought the process. _'Such a brilliant little soul.'_

"Zero…can the soul die? Can it break or…or get burn?"

Draupadi closed her eyes, remembering the particular Gita Verse that spoke of this particular subject. "No, The soul is so small, it's can't even get atomized. Sri-Krishna said that the soul could not be burned, cut, crushed, broken, wetted, buffered by the wind or whatever else fantasy writers may come up with." The Vaishnavi let her eye roll at the thought. Not only that, but a soul really was anti-mater, for it was made of spiritual mater, the antithesis of dull, dead mater.

"So…the soul…we can't die," Alouette confirmed.

"That's right; the soul is by nature eternal, fully conscious and full of bliss, and we are eternally persons, individual separated with God and yet one with him. But because we forgot who we are and wrongly think we are those bodies made of metal, flesh…or whatever material we deserve to be in, we have to suffer. is it clear so far?"

Alouette was about to reply when the controller of the Zero Virus heard (and felt) Cerveau at her door.

 _'Right…I was one of his patients. I sort of gave him the slip…'_ And if she had been in a recovery tank, her situation must have been critical.

"Oh...I think it's Cerveau." Alouette whispered as she tried to hide behind the back of the chair. "I don't think he's...happy you left the tank and the mess."

Draupadi winced...right, still high from the E-drugs coursing through her system, the Vaishnavi may have acted a bit rashly. "Now, if you excuse me, I have a doctor to see." And with that, the last Vaishnavi put her helmet back and met the base engineer/only competent medic. It was not a visit she was looking forwards to, but as mother Sri would often tell her, 'Needful needs to be done quickly, just like a Band-Aid.' it was a sentiment both women had shared.

_'Time to get this one off then…'_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, this is how O.O.C Zero or Draupadi will be. And I know I'm not using the right therm for the transponder...but let's assume those have different names, shall we.
> 
> (Edit... Did I even? I swear this chapter was as good as unedited. It's much better now.)


	4. Smoldering coal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A truth is revealed...one of many. The emperor strike, the dept of his madness revealed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mission Start!

Draupadi was back into the repair shop/Med bay. Everything was neat and clean; the computer was humming gently in the back, the 'Virus' having boosted its performance significantly. _'I need a new name for it. 'Virus' carried too much bad memory.'_

Obliviously, she was once again plugged into it; the internal process that made her body move and function were all displayed on the screen as Cerveau analyses them silently. He had already given her a physical exam, finding a little damage from her last mission and eleven out of twelve tilaka marks that adorned her body.

After some time consulting the 'boosted' diagnosis software, Cerveau wearily rubbed his eyes from under his glasses and pushed himself away from the monitor, grabbing a chair on the way. He sat in front of Draupadi, looking at her neutrally as he leaned a cheek on a hand.

Draupadi awkwardly yet elegantly crossed her legs. Wishing she could disconnect yet wary at how the base doctor would react.

After more time, Cerveau finally spoke. "… Where to start." He sighed.

"Am I about to die anytime soon?" The red and back reploid half-joked.

"No, no…not at all. All of your systems are in the green…" He kept on staring…

"Maybe you should start with my gender and work from there?" Draupadi proposed, there _was_ an elephant in the room, and it needed to get out.

"Yes…great Idea…your gender…" Cerveau rubbed his face with both hands.

"Tired?" She asked; the poor reploid looked…well, not exhausted. Just _very_ tired.

"No… The legend… If your legend was wrong about your gender, then what else had been doctored." He asked. "Also…do you have any idea why your frame had no gender identification?"

Draupadi shrugged. "I'm one of the first two reploid model…or a free-willed robot master. This type of designation was not needed at the time." It would have made this much easier…a bit too easy, to be honest.

Of course, there was more to it than just having free will, but that was another story entirely. One that had to be exposed as gently and tactfully as possible, something Draupadi was terrible at.

"One of the firs-"

"X and I…two different creators." Initially from the same, and then…" So, care to tell me my legend? I'm sure there will be more incongruity." Draupadi gave a wry smile. _'Alright, Krishna, let's see what they think of me."_

Cerveau closed his eyes. "Well, we already one part was wrong…or at least, X didn't-"

"It's… more complicated than that. As you said, my frame doesn't carry gender identification. Of course, I hated to be called an 'it' and 'they,' so X and I settled for the male pronoun since it was accepted as neutral…and everyone saw me as a male anyway..." a wry smile stretched her lips. A voice chip calibrated with a male voice, a powerful body, gruff and the emotional dept. Of an eighth of a teaspoon made sure of that. And her amnesia didn't help at all.

"But in truth…" She lowered the eyes. "In truth, I was always an F-model…as I was originally designed."

Cerveau grunted. "Yes… I see. It would explain the long blond hair and the…breasts."

Draupadi hunched over, feeling her core temperature raise a little…

Yes, them…

And then, she felt…pushed to open more.

"Cerveau…is there such a thing as a Hippocratic oath for reploids?" Draupadi asked the base doctor.

Cerveau shook his head. "Not really. If it is serious, then I have to report to Ciel…but otherwise, news travels quickly naturally at the base." He gave a wry smile. "But I will do my best to keep whatever's spoken between those four walls secret as long as I can."

"I see." The Vaishnavi inclined her head. _"Krishna… I feel like I need to tell him…why do you want me to reveal this particular secret?'_

 _ **Trust me; it will work out.**_ She could hear to lord dwelling in her heart of heart speak.

She took a deep vent.

"You have a big secret you want to reveal?" Cerveau asked. And Draupadi nodded.

Of all her secrets, this one would probably be the most accepted, ironically enough.

"It's…about me and…X…" With Alouette, it had been easier since the little reploid was as innocent as the child she was based on. Cerveau (and Ciel), on the other hand…

"Let me guess…the rumours were true." It was not a question.

Draupadi raised her head and gave the base doctor a quizzical look. "What rumours?"

"That you and X were more than friends…and brothers." A forced smile drew itself on Cerveau's lips. "I guess I do own Egret 45 kilo worth of E-crystal."

"Yes… We've been an item for longer than you were active." The blond Vaishnavi confirmed, trying to ignore how a bet was made on this particular subject.

Cerveau didn't react, but it was clear the news troubled him. Eventually, he asked the all-important question. "What are your allegiance?"

" _Oh Krishna…how am I supposed to answer this one.'_ "My allegiance is not with Neo-arcade or the resistance. I serve another master, and my master's desires are my directive." She waved off his concern. "Just know that my Master only wants everyone to be happy, and thus I will do whatever is necessary to see it through. And right now, protecting the reploids that lives in this base and going against X doesn't conflict with his desires." For now. But Draupadi knew she would have to leave and try to reason with Xiu…

Emphasis on try.

The visored reploid did look any less concerned. "Can you tell me who your master is?" he asked.

"Yes."

"You…won't tell me?" Cerveau asked, very much confused.

Draupadi gave a crooked smile. "You may ask me."

"So…yes you can, but you won't."

The blond wiggled her head.

"Your master…those symbols on your body belong to him, isn't it?" the (second) brain of the resistance deduced.

"Yes, it shows that I am his property." _' This body belongs to Krishna; he can do whatever he wants with it."_

"I see…" Cerveau still looked worried. "And what was that you were chanting?"

Draupadi brows rose in surprise; she didn't remember chanting in close vicinity of Cerveau…

"Chant when?"

"Ah…it was during those two days you were…out. You were reciting this…prayer."

"What prayer?" The mechanized Vaishnavi asked, playing the ignorant.

Cerveau closed his eyes. "Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare." He recited.

Draupadi lowered her head, hiding her smile behind a curtain of hair and fake bashfulness. _'Yes! Another one!'_

"Oh…you mean the Hare-Krishna Maha-mantra?" she said instead with as much innocence she could muster.

"Yes…what is it?" Cerveau asked again.

"It's the supreme peace formula." Draupadi gave the most straightforward answer possible. "So…what's the other part of my legend? And can I _please_ unplug myself from your computer?" She asked as politely as she could; she had already used the machine for cleaning up most of the files…and her port were a bit warmer than what she would have liked...and she didn't want Cerveau to notice her jubilation at his budding infection.

Unfortunately, most of the sacred files were too old to be read by even the old medical clunker. Draupadi would have to write everything down.

"I'm surprised you've asked me. Usually, my patients just pop them off the moment I'm done." The base doctor spoke with evident appreciation in his voice, clearly pleased at the black and red robot master respect. "Yes, nothing's wrong with you; you may remove them."

' _Thank you, mother Sri, for teaching me good manners.'_ Draupadi thought as she disconnected from the computer. "So…next part."

Cerveau sat back. "Yes, Legend said that to stop the virus, you had to seal yourself."

"…it didn't stop it," Draupadi revealed bitterly. "I just gave myself over to the big brains at the sci-lab, and…well, they tried their best to remove the 'virus' from my body." She narrowed her eyes, and she clenched her hands and jaw—another spectacular failure.

"And from the Data they have collected, they made Mother-elf, the vaccine for this virus." Cerveau finished off.

Draupadi raised a brow…that was _not_ what she remembered of the event. "Who's Mother-elf?" She asked instead.

"Mother-elf, or Project Ellipse, was the first Data-being ever generated. Fully sentient and conscious of her environment, able to fully emote a wide range of emotions. This human-made entity had the power to delete the Sigma-Virus. Purifying wide infected area from the vile presence without harming any type of life-forms."

Draupadi closed her eyes and made a face. _'Oh Krishna, there're so many things wrong whit what he just said.'_ First, no living entity could be human-made, for a soul's existence is eternal; they have neither birth nor destruction. Second, their material prison's main design would be from Krishna (Vishnu, Narayana, Vasudeva...she didn't remember what form of the Lord.), and Maya would then give it to Brahma before finally be delivered to those scientists via his wife, Sarasvati. Third, sentience cannot be human-made either, as were emotions and desires …

' _Ellipse…another soul stuck in an electronic body….no one can make a soul, meaning she's another victim.'_ How could a mere, finite fragment of God be able to make another soul out of dull, lifeless matter? Let alone something so powerful?

"Does it sound right so far?" Cerveau asked.

"I don't know; I remember going to the maverick research lab, speaking to the receptionist and surrendering myself to Karly and her brother…doctor Albert Weil…going in the machine…the going into forced sleep mode…" she enumerated as she held her chin, eyes to the heavens. Draupadi then closed her eyes hard. "And then pain…"

"Pain?" the base medic asked.

Draupadi nodded; even after a hundred years, she could still feel it reverberating in her skeletal base. "They removed me from my body, and…that's as far as I can remember, the rest's just a blurry, pixilated mess." She shrugged. Of course, she remembered being embraced by something…someone blue with three sharp claws and making dolls sleep-walk again...and then anger at being cheated, used...an old man...and codes being messed up...and more pain...and the claws again. Then…Cyberspace and the treasure buried in the under-net.

She could still remember the feeling of the first time she had barged in Mother Sri-Isopanisad's virtual home. Confused, scared, and attracted by the chanting of Hare Krishna Maha-mantra like a moth to a sacrificial fire.

' _Glad I did too…'_

"Then what happened?" Cerveau asked.

"Oh, became a Hare Krishna." She blissfully explained, still lost in this blessed memory.

There was a moment of silence…and then Draupadi realized she had missed a part of the Narrative. She recalibrated her voice box as she tried to dispel the awkwardness of the moment.

"Right… Of course… Of course." Cerveau did the same. "So…about the virus…"

"Defanged defused and under control." There was no way she would reveal that it was actually a part of her body, like this weird limb made of subtle matter that could connect her to other reploids and assorted electronics. It would also automatically turn off the pain chip and drive the weak-minded and morally inept ones mad if she was not careful.

"Right…that's good, I guess," Cerveau mumbled.

"Yes… Now, may I ask you something else?" Draupadi asked.

"Yes… Of course, you may."

"And will you answer me?" Draupadi asked again with a crooked smile.

Cerveau smiled back, knowing what she was getting at. "Yes…I will."

The black and red legend grew sombre. "Do you know…do you know what happened to X?" She let out a vent. "Actually, I know what happened…he couldn't take the pressure." Xiu Ying was never one for war; his heart was too soft for it…and his intelligence too sharp to be suppressed.

Oh...and the Godforsaken pain chip.

Cerveau lowered his eyes. "And…if you were his lover…" Cerveau sighed as he rubbed his eyes.

"…I'm sorry." Draupadi apologized.

Cerveau raised his eyes to the red ripper. "Why for?"

Draupadi looks down at her hands. "Everything…I'm not the hero you were looking for, and my previous actions caused so much pain…" she buried her face in her hands, pulling them up her front. "I thought…I thought they would have found an anti-virus, and X would finally have the peace he so desired. What the hell happened anyway? Don't tell me another apocalypse happened without me?" she tried to joke…really, it seemed her life was all about causing apocalypse by her mere existence.

Cerveau grew grave. "The mother elf was…stolen." Draupadi gave a very discreet cringe. "It was after the maverick virus was eradicated. Or at least, more manageable."

"Who kidnapped her?" The black and red legend asked.

"I believe it was one of the scientists, a certain doctor Weil."

Draupadi's eyes widened…and then she smiled. "Ha…why am I not surprised."

"Zero…you knew?"

"No, I just have a history with doctors that worked on my frame, turning Maverick and unleashing hell on the planet." She gave a self-deprecating smile; Of course, her attempt would backfire. "That's what happens when one tries to fix a material problem with a material solution."

"Pardon?"

Draupadi gestured to the base doctor, not to worry. "So, Ellipse was kidnapped by the guy who…got her out of me." She paused. How did she manage to bring a soul into her non-existing womb without the assistance of her husband? _'This makes no sense; reploid just don't have the capacity to reproduce.'_ …

"Say, Cerveau… Can reploid reproduce?"

Cerveau owlishly stared at Draupadi. "Excuse me but…that came out of the left field."

"Just something I would like to know." The Vaishnavi shrugged. "I've seen a few reploid children running around the base, mostly in the civilian barrack…but no pregnant reploids."

Cerveau inclined his head. "Indeed, we do have many child models running around." The base doctor admitted. "But unfortunately, no one as discovered a way to have a pair of reploid make another unite…nanites are not stable enough to imitate growth…and then there's the skeletal issue."

"I see. I'd thought some Reploids weren't made with a solid base."

"The technology used to exist." Cerveau once again admitted. "But it was only used for aquatic models and other models not meant to have human proportion."

' _Like Double…and that seahorse.'_ It was hard to forget a reploid that could turn into sludge.

"So… Reploids are still dependent on humans then…" Not that being dependent was bad, as long as the master was a qualified one. "So Ellipse is from me…and she got kidnapped. I know I'm going to hate myself, but…what happened to her?"

"Unfortunately, this human maverick did something to her that caused her to undo everything, using the ambient virus still floating in the stratosphere to turn Innocent Reploid and Cyber-elves insane."

"And then Xiu snapped." Draupadi finished quietly. If Ellipse were to be seen as her daughter… _' Kidnapped, driven insane…caused yet another apocalypse. Krishna, Everything that comes out of me cause destruction…and now that I finally identified as a maiden.'_

So, she was the apocalyptic maiden, Draupadi only hope what would come out of that particular pile of ashes would be better the last time it happened.

"Yes…but I doubt your… retirement only caused it."

Draupadi raised her head. "What do you mean by that, Cerveau?" She asked as the heavy guilt slowly lifted from her heart.

"Master X founded and ruled Neo-arcadia for five decades, using the power of Moth… Ellipse to keep the mavericks at bay… That is, until Doctor Weil's curse overwhelmed her, forcing Master X to _try_ and seal her."

A shiver went through Draupadi's spinal tube. "Seal her…how?"

"No one knows for sure, but rumours said that he used his body…and the state he was in corroborated this rumour. Not that I was there when it happened, but I was one of the techies tasked to figure out how to fix this particular mess." He admitted. "And of course...there was the other incident that came before that...the 0 Apocalypse....you don't want to know, my dear. I assure you. But this was the time she really started to show some fraying around the edges."

Draupadi remained silent, too shaken by this revelation to speak.

"He was…hidden from public eyes up until six years ago when…" Cerveau stopped himself.

"When?" Draupadi prodded, super soul, telling her that it was something she needed to hear…as unpleasant as it was.

Cerveau averted his eyes as he bit his lips.

"Cerveau… Please tell me what happened to my husband." There…she even put a name on her relationship now.

"Ciel…knows more than me. The only thing that I know is that after decades of obscurity, X was back…changed …" Cerveau removed his glasses as he rubbed his head. "I don't think I need to tell you how."

"That's why Ciel has this guilty aura around her…" Draupadi murmured.

Silence descended upon the two adults of the base.

"Why did you tell me all this?" Finally, Cerveau asked.

"All of what?" to be honest, the engineer had told her more than Draupadi thought she would hear.

"Your relationship with X…the virus…"

"Because I trust you, and I now have a second person who shares my secret," Draupadi said. "Now…there's something else I would need of you."

"Which is?" Cerveau wearily asked.

"Could you please put my sabre holster on my back? I'm just not used to having it on my thigh." Most of the damage she had received was due to her muscle memory acting out at the worst of time. It was also another reason why she had taken Leviathan out so quickly.

Of course, she could work out this kink through training, but having it replaced on her back was both more efficient and faster. She also had to check if she still had her integrated buster…

Cerveau gave a smile." Yes, of course, my dear. Please come to the shop table, and I will fix it for you."

Sometime later, as Cerveau was connecting some wires onto Draupadi's back…

"So…who's the second person who knows of your secret?" he asked.

"Alouette…no way she would reveal that the first was an 'enemy.'

She could just feel the base doctor smile. "Let me guess; she pulled those worms out?"

"Yes…" the Vaishnavi pushed her head in the specialized cushioning. "I swear…she has a way to get the deepest secret out."

"That, she does," Cerveau confirmed as he replaced the housing, snapping it back into place. "Alright, I'm done. How does it feel, Zero?"

Draupadi got up from the workbench and putting her modified Kevlar vest on, noting with satisfaction at how the sword holster comfortably rested under the armoured red fabric. She inserted the Sabre (not the same one sigma used) and then drew it out, practising her forms.

She could have sighed in delight…

Unfortunate, she didn't have her arm buster option anymore… _' not that I was such a good shot with it anyway.'_

"Thank you, Cerveau." She folded her palms. "Wonderful work as always."

"Don't mention it…as long as it doesn't bite the Resistance is the assets…" his tone took an edge.

"Oh, trust me, as long as none of you act like a bunch actual maverick, I won't even bother." She re-sheathed her sword, the movement familiar. "Alright-"

Suddenly, the base's alarms blared to life; they were under attack.

' _I knew something like that would happen. There's always the calm before the storm…always.'_ Draupadi thought wryly as she rushed out of the room, using the 'virus' to keep the door locked and noticed by whatever treat was there...and she prayed to Lord Narashima-deva to protect those who had chanted the holy name. _  
_

* * *

The glorious angel of death tore through him, slicing his body in half with the legendary blade…

The Pantheon's body fell to the ground, and he jumped to another… He shot a few times to his partner, his salvation. Every shot a prayer for liberation.

Zero, oh, his glorious Zero…He whirled around to face him, his golden strands flowing elegantly around their frame as the red ripper rushed at his temporary vessel, striking it down with practised ease.

The Z-sabre cut through this body also…he closed his eyes in pure rapture, savouring the pain that he should have felt…that he deserved.

' _Oh zero…my dearest…when, oh when will you cut me off from existence?…when will you free me?…send me to the furnace so that all of humanity's sin may burn with me…'_ He wanted release…needed release…so many centuries…so much pain…so many sins.

So many wars they had survived together…so many friends he had outlived…many more he had to put down…

Zero had left him… Thinking he could do it alone, that X could lead both Human and Reploids to a golden age…the fruit of his causeless sacrifice.

X held no hatred…He had nothing to feel…He was a machine, nothing more….Light's dream had awoken to the truth… And he knew why his dear Zero did this…

He had left a message…it ended with 'live well,' 'move on,' and… 'Thank you for all those years together, I love you."

I love you…

I love you…

Those three words, X had been the one who thought them to Zero, whispered in moments of intimacy…away from all ears…and in a moment of pure joy after they had found one another a few years after the catastrophic Eurasia mission.

The earth had turned barren, the pollution caused by the collision had killed almost every animal…the virus had mutated the rest.

Maverick were still running around, and humanity were reduced to living underground like rats and mice. And to make mater's worst, a certain gate had manufactured yet another Zero…X's Nightmare made tangible.

The destruction of the simulacra had been both cathartic and heart-crushing…once again, he had seen his Zero died…By his own hands, no less.

And then…without any explanation…His Zero came back…

It was then that X realized that…that he couldn't live without him…

X made his consciousness jump to another pantheon body. This one was hiding, not out of fear, but because he wanted to just look at his resurrected Partner…his messiah, as they cut through a dozen or so of his mechanized troops.

It was…beautiful. Holy…sacred…

Some humans still believed in the second coming of Christ. But Crist belonged to humans…not to the reploid kind…his children, his greatest sins.

X believed and prayed for the third coming of Zero…the salvation of all mechanized beings, they who will cleanse the earth of all sinners.

Starting with him…

Zero finished off the dozen or so heavily armed pantheon and locked on the one master X was using. And then…he noticed it… Golden marks on his archangel's perfect body.

' _What is this? Those were not part of the original design.'_ And if it was not part of the design, it was not part of the plan…and if it was not a part of the ultimate goal…

His perfect future may not happen… for it may not even be Zero…

He spurred the empty vessel to shoot at his salvation, hoping for a clean death, a small taste of what was coming for him.

Instead, Zero dodged the energy pellets and _tackled_ the pantheon to the ground, straddling the android…and by extension X as they held him still.

Up close, X could finally see the expertly crafted faceplate of his beloved…they were venting heavily, their purple eyes piercing…and yet held no anger.

Once again…this froze X's lines.

Zero had blue, green eyes…or dark blue if they felt like it. Not purple…

Purple…was the colour of the virus…the colour of the plague…

' _It's still here…how can I rest…'_ no…he could…his guardians were all immunes to its effects…and the Virus could lead the entire valorous one to salvation…or burn this mockery of civilization to the-the-the…No, Human's sere special, they were important…could not hot hurt them…

Even if they would.

And then, His Zero smiled. "Hey there, Echo, sorry I took so long."

X stared through the red eye of his vessel…this…this was not Zero's husky tone…it sounded…effeminate, sweet, playful even. And yet, only his Zero knew of his pet name…

It was a name they would use at home, behind closed door…in private…away from all hears. Not even Axl knew.

And only Zero could use this particular sabre…no one else.

"…can you speak in this body?"

He could…but what was there to say?

Did I miss you? But how could he? X was but a bunch of code cursed to have human feelings. I love you? He was a machine, and no matter what light had done, love was not such programmable, I hate you? No…he had no hate anymore.

End me?

His source code prevented him from even speaking those words…

The only thing X could do to longingly stare at the salvation, the one who would free the world from all stain, the purifier…The one who would bring everything back to Zero, to nothing…to everlasting peace.

' _They're so beautiful…_ ' Even with the new mark that adorned the Z-brain. _'It's…U…Ultimate life form…Ultimate purity …the Ultimate salvation.'_

Then Zero leaned forward, her mouth to the Pantheon's audio, their venting sending shivers through X's nanite tubes…no, his entire frame…

When was the last time he and his partner were this closes? When the last time he had felt their breath was, heard their voice…filth their core pulsating with energy?

"Xiu…It's alright. I'll be here soon." His Angel of death spoke reassuringly. "Just Chant what I've sent through Leviathan, and everything will be fine." They spoke to X as if he was a scared child. " Jai Sri Krishna Chaitanya, Prabhu Nityananda, Sri Advaita, Gadadhara, Srivasadi Gaura bhakta Vrinda…Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare…" His dearest Zero whispered…desperately in his right audio cone. And X…was helpless repeating after them, for their voice still held the same hypnotic effect on him.

And then…Zero kissed him on the forehead…breaking the connection he had with the Pantheon. And returning him to his old body, the one connected to Neo-arcadia's nexus. X could feel some moisture on his checks, already evaporating from the heat generated by the mega computer and his own core.

* * *

A bit later…

"Ciel…we need to talk." Draupadi addressed the young leader of the resistance as she entered her room. It was clear the girl was suffering an immense amount of stress. And the last Vaishnavi had a feeling she knew why.

"We do, don't we?" The genius was sitting on a broken office chair by a computer.

Draupadi walked in and leaned on the worktable that was in the middle of the room. "Yes…You own me answers Ciel. And don't try to lie or escape. It won't work this time." She knew X would not attack so soon…this had been but a mere warning, an invitation.

' _An invitation filled with causalities.'_ It could have been worst…but there was now ten more empty reploid cluttering the 'cold' storage room.

"First…I want to ask you something," Ciel spoke first, her eyes held a stubborn spark. "Who are you really? Zero was not-"

"DWN dash, infinity, open quote Zero Zero Zero Zero close quote. That's my designation code. My maker is none other than Doctor Albert W. Wily. My main directive is to destroy X…" Draupadi closed her eyes…This was the designation of her frame, a false identity forced upon her due to her past karma. _'This is not me…But I fear I may need to follow my directive.'_ It may not be possible to bring Xiu back to sanity, she knew…

Ciel looked at the Vaishnavi wearily.

"Ciel…you're the one who got me out of the lab, you're the one who gambles with the life of Passy…you were looking for me so that I may kill my partner, isn't it?" Zero went right to the issue.

"You've seen what he did…" Ciel spoke up, her brows furrowed.

"You mean the 'repurposing' facility?" Draupadi stifled a shudder. There had been ghosts there, many in fact… "Yes, I did. I crawled there for hours stepping over corpses, slipping on oil and stopping the most _ridiculously_ sadistic execution method I've seen in my life." She closed her eyes……if this was how X chose to execute that dividend, then no wonder Neo-arcadia was suffering from an energy crisis. And yet, the Vaishnavi could not help but find the whole this…stage like in its execution.

Draupadi sighed. "Ciel, I _know_ what I have to do. I just want to know what the hell happened to my partner. And before you try to get out of trouble, I know you had a hand in it!" Cerveau put her on the track…and God gave her an even better hunch.

The teen averted her eyes as she bit her lips. Ciel could try to lie, but she was an open book for the century-old maverick hunter.

"I know he tried to seal Ellipse using his body, and I don't need a genius level of intelligence to know how that worked out." While her husband had 'unlimited' potential, he was by no means limitless. "You were tasked to fix him…didn't you?"

Under Draupadi's stern gaze, Ciel began to fidget, worrying the hem of her skirt. (She was trying not to look angry, but this seemed to be one of her default expression.)

The Vaishnavi took a deep breath and released it. "Ciel…I'm…mad. But I won't take it out on you. Just tell me what happened to him." She practically begged.

"Zero…do you know why I was born?" Ciel asked instead, not looking away from the tip of her shoes.

Draupadi almost answered, 'Karma and reviving your eternal relationship with God, Krishna.' but held herself back. This was not the time to preach…not yet.

"Fifty years ago, Master X _tried_ to seal the dark elf-"

"Ellipse." Draupadi corrected.

"With his body."

"But." There was always a but…

"He failed…and he fell in…well, let's call it a coma." Ciel finished.

"Alright, this I knew. What else? You were genetically engineered to fix him, and it took that long to have the right materials?" She could almost roll her eyes; being a genius had nothing to do with good genes and a good family line. One had to have the required karma and the blessing of Brahma and his good wife Sarasvati….and ultimately Krishna.

"No…I was genetically engineered to be able to build a copy…a perfect copy of him."

Zero stared owlishly at Ciel as she tried to grasp what she had just said and then spoke the confusion that was on her mind. After a while, she managed to come up with a single word. "...What?"

A sad smile drew itself on Ciel's pretty face. "It took _thousands_ of failed experiments…and some miraculous acquisition of some genetically material of one doctor Light." The smile became self-deprecating. "I never had a childhood, never had any real friend… But I could code an A. I at four, solder a frame and specialized motherboard at six and even knew how to capture Navi and bond them to an ethereal rig a nine."

A shudder passed through Draupadi…this…was as good as hearing Ciel admit that she could rebind subtle bodied entity…basically, Ghost to puppets under the control of so-called humans.

And…

"So…My h…X is gone…this one's a copy." Meaning she was all alone…well, not quite. She had God at her side. Still…She was still very much attached to him…unfortunately.

Ciel lowered her eyes. "Y-yes…He's a failed Copy, the real X is still 'Sleeping in Yg-"

"You're lying."

"No, I'm not!" The genius tried to deflect the accusation…But Draupadi had already caught her.

Ciel was a bad liar, and two, The super soul would not let a lie pass this easily. Especially for Draupadi. _'Forget Layer, Krishna's the best Navigator.'_

Ciel bit her lips, her eyes filled with tears as she spilled everything. "everything was working well, the frame was perfect, the rig was perfect…the chipset, everything." She let out a sob. "…I even managed to crake the Variable system and X's copy technology. I even improve on it…but…but…"

"But." There was always a but…

"It…I couldn't…X…I couldn't copy him…what I made…Copy-X…Never woke up," she revealed.

' _Obliviously, no one can copy a soul, cloning a living entity's just not doable, no matter how technologically 'advance' a race can be.'_ Alright, so a body could be copied (somewhat…and with many problems), but not the living entity that gave it life. Vasudeva Prabhu and the past Acharya were _very_ clear on the whole thing. "So…what did you do?

"I…I went against the human government wishes, and…and I managed to do a secondary bind using the failed Copy as the slave body...and X was again with us. " A pained smile drew itself on Ciel's' face. "At first…everything went well. He was recovering nicely, and his guardians…he loved them…they were all close like a family. And soon, he resumed his blessed rule over Neo-arcadia." Her face crumpled…" and then…thing changed… …he…snapped, broke…and he…he began persecuting reploids…his own race...his own children." Ciel buried her face in her glove hands, sobbing bitterly. "All of this… it's my fault!"

Draupadi…got off from the tableside and went to Ciel. He softened heartbreaking at sight. She kneeled in front of the sobbing teen, gently taking the bone filled hands in hers.

Ciel's face had turned blotchy, her blue eyes red. "Ciel? Ciel…listen to me. _Every_ material endeavour is covered with some fault; nothing can be perfect. "She gently told the teen. "If you knew the mistakes I did, would not have been so eager to wake me up," Draupadi told with a touch of self-deprecating humour.

Ciel wiped her tears. "What? Did you cause a war? Made a despot aiming at the destruction of the planet? Caused mavericks?" Ciel tried to joke, giving the legendary reploid a very watery smile.

"…yes."

Ciel starred. "Wait…you?"

"I'm the first carrier of the maverick virus, and I'm the one who infected Sigma. But…I wasn't aware of it." She snorted, "it was all my creator's plan to get the last word in the stupid ego war he had with doctor Light." Draupadi gave a noncommittal shrugged. ". But, I know this was something that had to happen. and no matter how much I would like to change it, well, no one can change the past, and while destiny can be changed, it's easier to tolerate what's coming and act in a way things won't get any worst." She quotes her teacher almost words by words. "Man proposes, God disposes.'

Ciel clenched her fist and gritted her teeth. "Yeah?" she sniffled. "Well, God doesn't know what he's doing. " She bitterly spat. "I bet he's sitting on his throne, watching us struggle to survive…not doing anything…only demanding that we worship his lazy ass!'

These bitter words almost made the red legend balk. Ever since she remembered her past and her glorious teachers, Draupadi had never heard so much hate for the supreme Lord, for Krishna. And then she closed her eyes and bowed her head. _'Right…they told me I would meet people like that. Many of them.'_

'Krishna _…I don't think she's ready yet. But please watch over her when I can't.'_ And with that, the Vaishnavi arose, unwilling to remain in the room and itching to talk to Alouette again.

Before she exited the computer filled room, Draupadi turned to Ciel. "Ciel...thank you for telling me about X...I just have one last pinot to give."

The teen raised her eyes, looking at Draupadi with...not hatred, but it was clear the genius was less than pleased.

"You didn't need to lie about X telling you to destroy those computers." And with that, Draupadi was out.


	5. kindling the blaze

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A dream pregnant with a divine order, the heroine leaves the flock to face her foes. Anger and hatred spread and two new group forms.

* * *

They were in a church…all the pews were broken, the stained-glass windows were stretching to the sky, depicting the Ten Avatars of Sri Krishna, the golden avatar presiding over them with arms upraised. The cross was empty, the Christ having descended long ago to sit on a cushion by the side of his father.

She was in a wedding gown, the pure white dress glowing with red rubies…the blood of those she had already killed. Under her, X held her glove-covered hands to his neck. Ready to let his own blood decorate Zero's pretty dress. A smile of pure bliss twisted his featureless face.

On the altar, the radio played some mysterious wedding vows, reading for the Baghavat-bible.

The dark blue veil of broken code hid her face, her tears staining the faceless X a sapphire blue.

She could feel his pulse quickening and his breathing under her stained hands, like air being pushed out of a billow. She could feel him under her…his heartbeat was quietly listening to her for her command.

Zero pressed harder, X began laughing as tears of joy floated from his blank eyes…the code demanded it, her fathers demanded it.

And then, she heard her…her Mother, her Master.

"Draupi-hun, please don't kill Yo husband. You ain't a robot, you know?" Floated the warm, loving southern drawl decorated with an Afro-American accent.

"Who am I?" Draupadi asked as she looked around for the one whom she ow her life to.

And then…she saw her, Sri-Isopanisad Devi Dasi and her husband, sitting in a golden horse-drawn chariot, the Lord, Krishna held the reins as he spoke sweet words to his beloved...

The elderly woman had very dark skin like dark chocolate, he few moles were peppered here and there on her face, and her warm, loving brown eyes hid behind a pair of glasses. A hundred and eight silver braids covered her head and draped along her back. She wore a silken blue sari adorned with black branches-like pattern. On her ears, golden earrings hung. She looked at Draupadi with deep love and compassion.

On her forehead and neck was an urdapunda tilaka that glowed, and on her neck, the sacred Tulasi neck bead shone with golden effulgence, chasing away the darkness of death.

Her husband, Vasudeva Prabhu, was a bit portly, looking as sharp as Draupadi remembered in his dhoti and Kurta. Like his wife, he bore the marks of Vishnu on his body; his shaved head shone brightly…almost comically. And Draupadi knew that at its back, a very long shika hung.

"Honey-child," Vasudeva spoke with his inimitable tones. "You've already forgotten? You are the servant of the servant of Mahaprabhu, and as Mahaprabhu's maidservant, you don't kill people anymore; you save them."

"Now go and save your Husband…and all of those burnin' souls; you have our blessings!" Mother Sri and father Vasudeva opened their right palms outward, as was Sri-Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

The veil of code lifted, and Draupadi could finally see her true objective clearly.

And then her dream ended, and she opened her eyes to Alouette's room. The night light was on, and the little reploid was still at her desk, drawing. The ancient reploid's ear could pick up the Maha-mantra being sung under the small blonde's breath.

Tears fell from her eyes…she didn't have to worry; everything would be fine.

* * *

"Zero?" Alouette broke Draupadi out of her morning prayers.

"Yes, Alouette?" Draupadi spoke as she arose from her kneeling position, having finished chanting her Gayatri. The little child-like reploid's room definitely had an atmosphere conducive for relaxation and recovery. And prayers, of course.

"Umm…how does Krishna look like?" The little blond asked out of the blue.

A warm glow of bliss flooded Draupadi's core as a bright smile lit her face; she disconnected her umbilical port, her battery cell as fully charge as she dared to take. "God, Krishna's eternally sixteen…he wears a golden-yellow dhoti and upper cloth and has stuck a peacock feather in his long, curly black hair, his skin as is blue as the night sky, and his eyes are as golden as the dawn." She ended the description of the indescribable, knowing that Alouette's attention span would probably not be long enough to hear the unlimited, poetic description of God in His original form. "Why do you ask?" the black and red Vaishnavi asked, curious as to what would spur her little friend to ask such a question.

"Oh… I wanted to draw him, but… Well, I don't know how he looks like." The little reploid spoke with regret.

"Oh…that's so sweet of you. Here, can you give me access? I want to share a picture of him with you." Draupadi spoke with a sweet smile as she walked closer to her young friend and a future pure devotee.

' _Oh, how long has it been since share Krishna like this…'_ It felt great…like finding an oasis after a yearlong trek in a burning desert.

She missed the cyber-ashram and all of her friends who used to live there, waiting until it was their time to go back home, back to Godhead, or retake a human birth.

Alouette beamed as she gasped with pure, unadulterated joy. Pulling Draupadi out of her remembrance of a time when life indeed was peaceful and sweet. "Really? You have a picture of God?"

"Oh, I have a few." Draupadi put her hand on Alouette's head and began the Upload or…let's be honest, a divine download. She chose the best pictures, those in which Krishna looked his sweetest, meaning those he was with his sweet Radha, his gopa's, gopis, on the lap of his eternal mother, Yashoda... and one folder of Pictured of Vishnu and his avatars. She also put a few gigabit worths of Pancha-tattva pictures, Gaura-Nitai pictures, Narashima…

' _Hmm…should I give her more? Might as well, since I won't stay with the resistance that much longer.'_ She could not feasibly save her husband by following Ciel's' order; she had to act alone. _'No…not alone. I'm never alone.'_

Coming to a decision, Draupadi chose the basic books the previous Acharya had compiled; The Bhagavad-gītā, the teachings of Lord Chaitanya and, of course, the Krishna Book…

' _My first book…my first contact.'_ Draupadi fondly remembered.

She also considered downloading the Srimad-Bhagavatam and the Chaitanya-Charitamrta...but those may be too philosophically deep for the fifty-year-old child model. She also added some children's books, some MP3 files…mostly music, her personal notes and realization and the blessing that Krishna would always dwell in Alouette's mind.

"Uah! Zero, that's too much!" Alouette protested.

"No, it's not. I know you can take it, trust me." If those holly scriptures could fit on a tablet, then even the lower-end reploid frame could take it. And indeed, the big file managed to find its place in Alouette's internal storage. "There, everything you need to know about Krishna!" She fondly ruffled the little girl's blond hair, a cosmetic addition that only made her all that much sweeter.

Alouette pushed Draupadi's hands away as she hid her smile with a mock scowl. Her hair a mess, and laughter danced in her deep azure coloured eyes. And then, a wonder took over. "Oh wow! Are those… Are those E-Books? And…and songs too?"

Draupadi's bright smile grew even brighter at Alouette's reaction. "What do you think those are?"

Pure childlike wonder lit Alouette's face, accented with gratitude as she jumped from her seat and hugged the much taller Gaudia-Vaishnavi.

But, just like everything in Draupadi's long life, it was not meant to last, for the little girl's countenance became dour. "You…you will leave us soon. Will you?"

This took Draupadi by complete surprise. "Why do you think that?"

"Because… I just know. No one gives a nice gift and stays." Alouette quietly spoke, her blue eyes downcast. She returned to her seat, not looking at Draupadi.

' _Well…can't lie to her, can I?'_ Draupadi thought as she kneeled in front of the little mechanized girl, holding her hands…just like she did with Ciel. _'Just like how Xiu would deal with the mourners.'_ Draupadi closed her eyes as she turned off her tear duct. No use crying over him…he was still alive and would remain alive...for as long as he was supposed to. "Your…right. I have to leave…"

"But why? Who's going to protect us?" Alouette asked with apparent anxiety. "You…you're the only one who can go against the Neo-Arcadian force! No one can face them…"

Draupadi put both hands on Alouette's arms. The little girl just had her home invaded by a bunch of creepy robots…and ten warriors she may have known have left their bodies in service.

"Alouette… Listen to me. If I stay with the resistance, I may be able to destroy whatever's threatening all of you…but it won't fix the source of the problem." She explained to the little reploid.

"The source…that's X… Xiu."

"Yes." Draupadi nodded, knowing her husband to be either the cause…but also a symptom of something worst. "So…I will leave in an hour…maybe even earlier. I will go to Neo-Arcadia, and there…I will see what I can do."

"Will you k-kill him?" Alouette asked. And to this, Draupadi gave a grateful smile.

"No, my orders are not to kill…it's to save." She revealed. "I have no clue as to how I'll manage to pull it off, but by Krishna's will, it will happen…it must happen."

Alouette lowered her eyes again. "Zero…will you…will you come back?" Alouette struggled to withhold her tears.

The Vaishnavi bit her lips. "I…I don't know. I would love to, but... Probably not." her returning to the resistance with X was the best-case scenario, but knowing her luck...better not count on it.

Alouette's tears fell as she began to sob. Somehow, over the week and a half, Draupadi had been with her; the small reploid had grown attached to her. Even as the amnesiac Zero.

The powerful reploid didn't waste any time; she picked up the crying Alouette on her lap as she sat on the chair. "Shhh, It's alright, Alouette, everything's fine."

"But…but…you're leaving…you won't come back!" the little blond in pink hiccuped.

' _Oh Krishna…what Am I supposed to do now?'_ The red legend never had to deal with tears before; she would usually leave this to X. but now…

She spent some time holding the little reploid, rubbing her back and humming the Maha-Mantra under her breath, trying to calm her down…and praying to God, at lost at how to deal with this particular situation.

Eventually, Alouette calmed down…or she ran out of tears. The little reploid remained in Draupadi's arms; her head nestles in the crook of the red legends neck.

"You know…You can always call me." Draupadi proposed. To which Alouette finally reacts by lifting her head to look at the Vaishnavi's purple eyes. "Like this, I will never be too far from you."

"You…you mean it?" The blond in pink asked the one in red; some hope had returned to her expressive eyes.

"I swear it in my Guru's…my teacher's good name," Draupadi promised as solemnly as possible. "Of course, if I'm busy, I may not answer you right away, but you will be on top of my priority list." She sent Alouette her private radiofrequency. And, after showing Alouette how to use her internal com. And receiving her own frequency, she sent a confirmation message just to show her little friend that it would really work.

"Alright, Alouette, what did I send you?" Draupadi asked, to which the sweet little reploid giggled, making the black and red legend smile. _'Tears are gone, mission accomplished. Thank you, Krishna.'_

' ** _your welcome.'_**

"You sent me 'Hi Alouette, this is Draupadi devi dasi. Please keep on chanting Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare and may you eternally be happy." Her little bird joyfully recited the message with a giggle in her voice, warming Draupadi's heavy heart.

"Yes, that's it!" the ancient reploid confirmed with a nod. Happy that the tears were finally over. It had taken her to act a bit sillier than usual, but this sacrifice had the intended result.

Then, Alouette's face took a quizzical turn. "Umm…so…your name's not Zero?"

"It used to be," Draupadi explained. "But my Spiritual master gave me a better one."

"But Zero…Zero's a cool name," Alouette argued.

"Zero means nothing, emptiness…Void," Draupadi wryly answered her bright feature darkening.

' _You are back to Zero." Wily triumphantly grinned. "A light bot no more. And you will bring my rival back where he belongs, as. A. Zero! Nothing can defeat you; nothing can resist you,_ _for you are eternally the void maker_ _. You will bring the world to its knee's as you make everything-"_

"….The Great Teacher under whose feet all the master take shelter of was against voidism," Draupadi closed her eyes as this terrible memory, the first time she became Zero passed in front of her mind eyes." and this carried to all of his disciples, grand disciples and great-grand disciples." She explained.

"Really? So…what does 'Draupadi Devi Dasi mean?'" Alouette asked.

"It means that I am the servant of the effulgent queen named Draupadi, wife of the five Pandavas." She began to robotized Vaishnavi closed her eyes as she remembered this great woman, the chaste, pious and devoted Draupadi.

"Wait…she had five husbands?" Alouette's eyes grew wider.

"Yes…She was to be wed for one Arjuna, but the situation was such that it would have caused a war between him and his other brothers. They were in exile with their mother, saintly queen Kunti… Sri-Krishna's Aunt. So their mother told Arjuna, the one who won Draupadi's hand, to share whatever nice thing he won with his other four brothers." Draupadi paused, cringing at how badly she narrated this whole event. "Aah…listen s- Alouette, I'm a terrible storyteller."

"It's Alright, Draupadi…the other Draupadi must've had a very interesting life," Alouette commented, to which the ancient Vaishnavi let out a laugh.

"Oh, you have no idea…it makes my adventures with Xiu Ying look no better than grocery shopping on a Monday." She quoted an expression her teachers would use often. "Draupadi was born of a fire sacrifice as the perfect wife for Arjuna. Her skin is blackish, which is why she's also called Krishna, and she once got saved from public humiliation by Him Also !"

"Really?" The little reploid asked, now more enliven than ever.

"Oh yes! It's actually a very popular pastime…" Draupadi Nodded, then paused, checking her internal chronometer. She knew she had to go as soon as possible, for the trek through the desert to Neo-arcadia would be a long and dangerous one.

"Alouette… I'm sorry, but I have to go. I know you and Ciel…the entire gang wants me to stay. But the longer I wait, the harder it will be to save X." The Vaishnavi regretfully spoke to her little friend sitting in her laps.

Alouette's eyes narrowed as she pouted; some clear worries marred her child-like features. "You…you want to save him? But he turned Maverick!" she softly protested.

"Yes… But… I'm not a maverick hunter anymore; I'm a servant of the servant of Sri-Krishna-Chaitanya." She openly revealed to her confidential friend, knowing the little girl to be very trustworthy. "And as a servant of the most merciful Lord… I am tasked to save him and everybody else I meet." Draupadi gave her most confident smile…not that she knew how to do it.

"But…but you don't even know where Neo-arcadia is! And there's the Eden dome; nothing can go through it without special permission!" Alouette revealed.

' _Ah…Thank you, Krishna.'_ "Don't worry… I'm sure I'll find a way in," Draupadi assured her little friend. Now forewarned, the warrior-like Vaishnavi- already knew how to gain this permission. Once again, she needed to get to Neo-Arcadia as soon as possible, the orders of her gurus pushing her to act with urgency.

"Listen, Alouette; I _Really_ need to go now. Just let me go plea-"

"No." The little girl denied. Still holding Draupadi's neck like the world's most adorable vice.

"Alouette…please, the longer I wait-"Alouette squeezed Draupadi's neck harder. "Alouette, you acting like a human _brat._ Let me go!"

But Alouette was both unwilling and too stubborn. She held on to Draupadi like a miserly man his wealth.

She got up, Alouette still clinging to her, unwilling to let her hero, new friend and only other girl she got along with leave.

Draupadi began to weigh her option; on the one hand, she knew her arms could easily dislodge Alouette…but she also knew it would hurt her little friend. On the other, she could just walk in the base with the diminutive reploid and bring Alouette with her to Neo-arcadia…but then she would have to face a whole other slew of problems…

' _Or…I could…"_ she called the 'virus,' letting this subtle expansion enter Alouette's system without any impediment. And very soon, the robotic Vaishnavi had located Alouette's sleep mode prompt.

Once asleep, Draupadi tucked the girl in, leaving behind an apology, some instruction and connecting the broken reploid to her converter, loading the contraption with enough E-crystal to last a few weeks.

And the very compressed copy of the divine filed she carried...in case Of the one Draupadi had got destroyed with the body she was in...or worst.

With a heavy heart and the orders of her guru dancing on her head, Draupadi Devi dasi left the resistance, praying to the half-lion half-man incarnation of Krishna to please protect those who had taken shelter of Ciel and Cerveau.

* * *

Back at the base, Cerveau was ambling in the corridor, carrying a chariot loaded with the promised 45 kg of E-crystal for one Egret. The posh blond was on guard duty at the eastern gate…the one rumoured to be haunted.

' _Crazy Egret and his cyber-elves, the poor man can't live with them...can't live without them.'_ The pale blond was relatively new built, and he had joined the resistance in the hope of getting back at the guardians, expecting the ragtag group of civilian build to be able to take down the likes of Sage Harpuia and Fighting Fefnir…what to say of the others.

Nevertheless, the civilian build had taught himself the art of fencing and had gotten very proficient. He also had a knack for inspiring others with eloquent speech and his undeniable charisma… But Cerveau had a feeling something else his under the natural leader. A secret like that of Zero's ultimate relationship with X and the virus…

Cerveau shook his head…no, there was nothing he could do about this. He could only watch as things played out and hoped for the best.

The fancy guard finally noticed (or finally deign to give attention to) Cerveau. Looking at the older model like one look at an insignificant fly…that is until he noticed the cargo the fly was pushing.

"Well… Don't you have quite the stash there, Cerveau? Planning a party without me?" The somewhat snobbish reploid pressed a hand to his chest.

"Egret, do you remember that bet we made?" he asked.

Egret raised a perfectly groomed brow. "No…we bet on many things, Cerveau, don't expect me to remember them all." The blond guard said with a flip of his long blond hair." unlike you; I have better things to do the _gossip_ like the lower ranks."

Cerveau bit back a remark, "Well…The only thing I will say was that you were right, here's your 45 kg of E-crystal…have a good rotation Egret, I will see you soon enough to check your memory bank. _Don't. Skip it."_ And with that, Cerveau left Egret and his dully won wager, praying to Zero's master that the blond fencer would not remember his bet too soon.

Behind him, Egret's face darkened.

* * *

' _Now what? Who could this maverick be, and why did Leviathan grant the demon amnesty?'_ Harpuia wondered as he surveyed the situation. He, fighting Fefnir and Hidden Phantom, were in the Neo-arcadia tower's lobby, ready to receive their 'guest.'

The sensors had picked up the sign of an intruder, a reploid foolish enough to hang around the other perimeter of the Eden dome. The captain of the sky had been about to deploy to seek and destroy the foolish maverick when Leviathan told him to stay grounded; she would deal with him.

The green general was unsure if leviathan should be trusted anymore, not after what she did to Master X.

Their glorious master, their source and nexus, had turned…mad after meeting with Leviathan. A state that had worsened after the raid.

Instead of sending Harpuia…or even Fefnir and Phantom, Master X had flooded the resistance base with pantheons and golems. Some other more specialized units also…but with the same, ineffective result.

Zero, the greatest of the sinner, had absolutely decimated their forces. And only ten mavericks out of five hundred twenty had met their due end. But worst, he…she had infected master X with a _virus,_ a disease…

Harpuia closed his eyes as the fire of indignation burned brighter than whatever Fefnir could conjure. Master X, Stoic, regal, poised…was now madly spouting the damn Hare Krishna…prayer? Incantation?

Whatever it was, Master X seemed to be processed by it… Chanting it with _devotion and ...and..._ His palms folded, eyes closed… _kneeling on the floor as if in front of a pew!_

' _The next time I see this…this hell-bound bitch…'_ Harpuia clenched his fist as he waited for the most fortunate maverick in Neo-arcadia to make his appearance…and his idiotic co-model.

"Har…for Christ's sake, man, cool down!" Fefnir whispered to the sky captain. "Were gonna get Zero and make him…her pay for what she did to Master X, just be patient."

"'Be patient,' cool down?" The green general whispered harshly. "That's the last thing I want to hear from you, Fefnir!"

"Dude…I get you mad at all, but at least let me have a go at her first." Fefnir declared with e feral smile Sodom prep and ready. "Just give me one more fight with her…you can have whatever's left of Zero after I'm done."

"Whatever is left? Geez, that's so generous of you." Harpuia snarked. If he had his way, the entire resistance base would be but a smoking crater…and Zero's body shattered to the ground.

The red fighter gave an even bigger grin, licking his lips at the mere thought of the fight. "You know…heard from Leviathan that old Zero remembers her past." He chuckled darkly. "Oh, I can't wait to fight the Red Ripper in all her glories…" He sighed again. " I can already feel the burns!"

'… _maybe I should just try to find Zero myself and kill her before Fefnir can get his sooty hands on her frame.'_ No matter how much he hated her, the way the firefighter acted left Harpuia deeply disgusted. _'What did Master X think when he mirrored Fefnir? I've never seen such a bloodthirsty reploid in my life…saved a few mavericks.'_ Speaking of maverick, Leviathan and her Maverick…refugee were about to exit the lift.

" _I wonder who it could be, who could be so foolish as to walk into the dragon's den willingly.'_ Maybe it was Ciel who finally realized her mistake…or a reploids willing to betray the ragtag bunch of misfits who desired a war. Nevertheless, Harpuia was ready for them.

The lift arrived, and the doors slid open. Revealing…

"Holy hell," Fefnir whispered.

It was Zero, the legendary maverick, the one who betrayed their brother in arms, the quitter, the coward, and the blond demon…the greater betrayer in History. She stood a bit behind Leviathan, her hands delicately folded in front of her, her eyes downcast…appearing to all like a humble saint leads to the gallows. She even had that glow religious icon that seemed to sport.

The green general sneered. Of course, Zero would do something like that, trying to diminish mater X's Glories with so-called sainthood. _'Typical.'_

" _ **Yo Levi, what the hell is this all about?**_ **"** Fefnir demanded, burning with rage.

Leviathan casually leaned on her spear. "Oh, Zero came and asked for amnesty."

"And you granted…no, no. Levi…Lebi. Zero's a maverick. A freaking, bloodthirsty, unstable, motherboard corrupting _hacker of a_ _ **maverick!**_ _!"_ Fefnir pointed at the still serene Zero; the reploid was still silent, her gaze still to her feet. "He…She…they…they _corrupted Master X!"_ He accusingly pointed his forefinger at the source of all their trouble.

Then…following the Gaze of Phantom, Harpuia noticed something peculiar.

' _Why did Zero remove her boots…the red ripper must be planning something.'_ It must've been a tactic, a way to put them off guard, for no one would dare go barefooted to face Master X's guardians.

Harpuia narrowed his eyes.

"And why did you choose to…" Phantom began ripping his sight from Zero's very basic feet, not sure what term to use.

"Surrender?" Zero Finished for him. Making Fefnir choke on…whatever a reploid choked on when aghast.

"Yes." Phantom finished smoothly, his eyes stubbornly staying on Zero's marked face.

' _What the hell is this mark…U …_ _Ṷ_ _…V…'_ Once again, Harpuia went over the entire image directory for the reploid mark _._ Zero's only slight saving grace was that it was not a ∑. This would have netted her an immediate termination… the same for leviathan.

Not that Zero would live long anyway. Not if Harpuia would have his way.

Zero looked at Phantom, and then her violet sight turned to Harpuia and finally Fefnir. Making them all (unperceptive )shudder.

Colours other than blue and green didn't bode well.

"I…would like to take care of X, my husband." The purple-eyed Maverick informed the guardians, once again, with folded palms. "I…was away for a very long time. Obliviously, he missed me." The legendary maverick crossed her arms over her chest; her eyes are still downcast.

For the next ten minutes, all the guardians (saved Leviathan) tried their best to reset their system after the absolute bomb Zero dropped on them. It was all the time it took for the Zeroth unit captain to give them the slip and start climbing the ivory tower to her husband…to the broken X.

* * *

Back at the base, Chaos reigned at the cantine.

In the spacious room, over a hundred reploid and a smattering of human jeered, shoved, wept and lost their will to live as Egret, standing on a sturdy table, revealed the truth about Zero and X.

Coucou and his partner Paon looked at their commander, rousing the crowd, using fear and hatred to make them move.

"You know Coucou… Egret's reminding me more and more of what he hates now." Paon spoke to his partner.

"Like this ancient one, right…what was his name, Hilter?" The crooked noses reploid ask without asking.

"Yeah…something like that." The blue-haired guard sighed. "So Zero and X, huh?"

"Worst way to learn of that, I guess," Coucou muttered as he laid his head on the table. "So…first our life was good, then Master X had an accident. Then he recovered then went crazy. Our life got way worst, and then we followed Ciel." The recovering reploid resumed. "Then life got…tolerable; I guess until master X sent his army every five days." He let out a puff of air." and then we find the legendary hero Zero…thing great again, 'he' gets rid of many of our problems, sure, the guys not remembering who he is but…who's complained, you know."

"He was…but not loudly." Paon chipped in, knowing how his partner could go one for hours like this.

"And then he heat-crash." Coucou ex-vented. And Paon put a hand on his back. This had been what had removed all hope in his bunk-mates core, condemning him to a slow death.

"It's alright, 'he' survived." Paon gently patted his partner's back.

"Survived?" the ponytailed reploid scoff. "I don't know if Zero survived…feels more like he was…replaced by this saint."

Paon raised an eyebrow. This…he had not expected this word to be used.

"No…maybe not replaced but…reborn... like the phoenix. Yeah!… A saintly phoenix." Coucou got off from his slump wincing at the cheering Egret had gotten from the crowd.

Something about relocating and starting a better army to make Neo-arcadia fall: and to call him High commander Elpizo from now on.

' _Well, crap on a stick… I sorta grew to like this place.'_ This would ask for more work for him.

"Zero…you know, when you brought Hibou and me to see 'him?' and when she was signing with Alouette?" Coucou asked, some life returning to his eyes. "This…this had been the best single moment in my _entire_ life. Even better than the first time we met. I swear Paon, what she sang...that was a galdr...it healed my poor soul. It did!" Bright smile light up Coucou's usually glum face. This sight took Paon's mind away. "You know…I may have never believed in God or anything. But this time…I think I felt…I think I felt Him." The crooked-nosed reploid whispered with a voice filled with sheer wonder. "You…you believe me…right?" he turned to his partner.

Paon closed his eyes…" yeah. I remember…never was one for music, but this…this was out of this world for sure. Not sure if it was God or just some good vibe, but…I want to hear it again and again!"

"I know, right? This…this gave me hope. Like real, actual hope." Coucou smiled.

"Are you sure it's not because you've always had this crush on the red Hero?" Paon teased. "And now…she's the way you like 'em.'" He then playfully shoved his partner before becoming sombre once more—the background of Elpizo's soapbox speech about the traitor burning his audio.

' _Dammit… Why did Elpizo have to scream it to the roof? Now Zero won't be able to come back to us without being lynched._ ' Not that Zero could die from this act…but it probably wouldn't end well for anyone involved.

"Paon…let's get the hell out of here. My ear-plates are burning worst than Zero." Coucou told his partner as he rose from the table, not waiting for the lanky reploid as he all but ran away from the garbage Elpizo's spouted.

Not willing to suffer more of their co-guards acidic spiel, Paon followed Coucou…where would he go? He had no clue…as long as he didn't have to listen to 'El-pissers' incendiary blasphemy of Zero…and X.

No used burning a mad man; he wouldn't know any better.

Paon quickly caught up with his friend. The shorter reploid kept a good pace, even though he was still recovering from desperation….

' _He's gonna relapse…I just know it.'_ Zero's status as Master X Lover, her gender, the fact that she went A.W.O.L… Even Paon felt his will to go on, to fight fade.

It would be so easy to just…stop.

And then, as they entered the recharging quarters and his will to live began to erode…he heard it.

_Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare_

_Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare._

The two reploid guards stopped in their tract…and then began to follow the faint sacred chant. Soon the Mantra leads them to Zero's closet room. To Alouette as she chanted this song with all her little core.

The two reploid guards looked at one another…and entered.

Inside the tiny, dank and darkroom was Alouette, kneeling and praying in front of a very good drawing of Zero, with majestic wings, her Z-sabre out and stepping on X's head. Her Victory as clear as the fair skin girl in blue and the blue boy in gold standing behind her, the boy playing his flute, a peacock feather in his abundant black hair. Beside s the little reploid in pink were Hibou and quite a few Cyber-elves.

All were chanting…praying to Zero…praying for help, for her safety.

The two reploid guards sat down with the group and joined in the chanting. Putting their entire core to it. Bellowing out the mantra as a call for help… Assured that Elpizo and whomever else were in the cantine would be deafened to all but the spiel.

They were helpless; powerless…their only hope was gone.

They could only pray…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> About Draupadi (Zero) changing her goal from killing X to saving him because of a dream she had...
> 
> When you see your (Genuine) Guru, or Krishna, in a dream, and they give you an instruction, it's the same has having Them in front of you and receiving it personally.
> 
> Don't worry, saving our favourite Blue bomber won't be that easy task.
> 
> Drama and all that you know.


	6. Incineration

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the confrontation...a sacrifice...and the spreading of mercy among the dancing dolls.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> During the confrontation, please listen to Megaman X9 Remix, deranged Hero by demigod production, that thing pack a punch!

Some action, the confrontation, but this is just the start. Saving X won't be easy...and yet, everything is simple and clean when one remembers the Lord.

Or the lord's devotee's in this case.

* * *

' _Well, that was easier than expected.'_ Draupadi commented as she traversed the maintenance corridor of the Neo-Arcadia tower, scaring whatever human employees were there and rushing as fast as she could to the next stairwells. _'You knew it would happen…and you knew what type of password I needed, didn't you, Krishna?'_

Sure, she could take the intended path filled with spikes, pit, mechanoids, and some challenging pantheon and, of course, the obligatory gauntlet of half-repaired Mutos. But Draupadi simply did not have the time or the desire to fight them.

To be honest…she was sick of fighting. Mechaniloids were ok as stress relief and as a source of resources since those were just mindless machines, toys. But other reploids, other souls?

Never again…if circumstances permitted.

Besides, it had been _hilarious_ to see the four fearsome generals freezing in place at the big reveal of her licit relationship with their master. Even Leviathan, the most perceptive of the three, had failed to realize how serious it had been... not that X knew, for once, something of human culture having flown past his helmet at high speed.

The mechanical Vaishnavi managed to find the second stairwell, idly wondering why the emergency exits were split into different sections, all in different parts and height of the ivory tower. _'At least there are tele-pads at the bottoms, not that any of them are working right now.'_ Since, obliviously, the guardians had activated the anti-intruder protocol…but not after Zero had by-passed the trap entrance and entered the Human-only zone like Krishna entering in Princess Rukmini's retinue to Kidnap her.

' _Krishna…maybe I'll go through the trap for nostalgia's sake…what do you think?'_ Draupadi asked her Lord as she casually vaulted over a barricade, shooting a few Pantheons and impaling the others with her triple rod, boosting over another barricade with the excess energy and slaying the rest with a shield-sword- buster combo. _'Or maybe not…let me get at X first and then see how I can save him.'_

Save him… Draupadi had absolutely no idea how even to start. And her track record for saving reploids was _abysmal_ when it came to those she cared about.

' _I have God at my side and the blessing_ _s_ _of my Gurus…its God's will. It will work…. Oh Krishna, Please…please guide me, control me, and make me your instrument of mercy.'_ The legendary hero prayed as she burst through the fifth stairwell, jumping from floor to floor as she did her best to dodge the buster shots turrets flooded the stairwell with.

Obliviously, in such close quarters, Draupadi did soak up some damage. But nothing too bad... in her opinion.

Eventually, she reached the last floor in record time…and groaned.

"Oh, Krishna…don't tell me." The room was circular, and no windows were insight. There was a lift in the middle; the contraption was connected to eight doors.

Draupadi bit back a curse and five oaths. "It's a gauntlet…like Sigma would do."

If she needed proof of her Husband's state of mind…

"Let see… This one must be Ganesherif…the zombie master…the ice deer, Hanumachine…and the four guardians ending with X." She rubbed her chin…she knew she could go through it with relative ease, especially now that she could remember the centuries worth of wars and combat experience.

Realistically… She was just tired of all the senseless violence. His current body may have been designed as the world's ultimate war machine, a self-updating system for mass destruction but…after more than a hundred years of the same song and dance…and discovering the ultimate goal of life, Draupadi was more than ready for retirement.

As was X, obliviously.

Suddenly, she felt a request for radio transition. [Zero speaking, who is it?] She asked as she studied how the room was wired; the lift seemed connected to each arena.

[Zero, this is Leviathan.] the ice General answered. [I did what you told me…I'm in my private quarters, the room is locked, and it's dipping everyone in acid. I think even master X is mad since-]

[Since you will not be part of the gauntlet.] Draupadi finished for the replicated 'mermaid' that's good. [And if you think you made them mad, wait until you I pull my next trick.]Vaishnavi smirked, noticing how flimsy the firewalls protecting the lift were and what to say about the wired connection. [Leviathan…before I proceed, I just wanted to thank you. You didn't have to bring me in the city proper…or label yourself a traitor.]

[s it turned out, Draupadi had made an ally out of the flirty guardian, for leviathan was not as blind as the rest...only powerless and ignorant as to how to pull X out of his... Maverick Phase?

_'Yeah...let's go with that,'_

[Oh, it's fine. I'm not sure about my other sibling-unit, but I do know that's something's dead wrong with our Master…and you've just confirmed It.]

On the way to the ivory tower, Draupadi had taken the time to explain to Leviathan the entire situation…gathering more information of her husband's state of mind and how Neo-arcadia was. And she had to admit, for someone so mad, her husband had done a great job with his city! There were artificial fields for growing grains, vegetables and any other product that was needed. The whole city was built in a way that gave most of its citizens enough space to live, and all had the facilities for sense gratification with very few restrictions.

In other words, the place was spiritually dead; a few churches were scattered around the place…but people would rather pray to the Overwrought and fallible master of Neo-Arcadia than the unlimitedly potent and unavailable Sri-Krishna…even in his most impersonal form.

Everyone was in it for themselves; they would consume, abuse and exploit all they could see, since for them, once they were dead, it was the end.

They had no goal in life...and no hope for the future: only sand and the illusion of normality.

At that moment, Draupadi knew exactly what the great Acharya felt as he gazed upon the Boston skyline at the end of his two-month trip across the sea. Having left India on the Jaladuta at the age of 70 on the order of his Guru to spread the Glories of Krishna in the West.

He had succeeded beautifully; not even three hundred years of war had managed to erase his legacy; Draupadi was the proof of that.

Draupadi sighed as she grabbed a generously dropped Energen can, offering it as the best mango juice to her Gurus…hoping. They would accept it. She suspects that it may have been left there by Leviathan…or her husband. [Yeah,…X…I really don't regret my decision of staying in the under-net for so long. But maybe I should've contact Xiu Ying to make sure he knew I was fine.] Hind-sight…always too late

[Mah…it's in the past. It's not like you could've known he would…go crazy without you.]

The mechanized Vaishnavi remained silent. She may not have known, but she had been forewarned. _'Never ignore a dream...ever.'_

 _[_ I wasn't the most sensitive of reploid back then.] she winced…oh, she had been such an idiot, just rushing and killing 'irregulars' and following the 'human' loving X around, following his utopian ideals as his sanity slowly but surely eroded over to many wars.

' _I was acting like a machine…a dumb, dull, stupid machine.'_

[when you were the manliest piece of reploid ever manufactured?] she heard leviathan purred at the other side of the connection. Definitely teasing the legendary Hero.

[Fairy leviathan…I wasn't manufactured like that.] This was one subject she would rather not dwell upon.

[It's alright…I don't mind.]

[You know, X, your _Master_ is my husband…]

[yes…but we all know that he's…not fit for you.]

[And you're any better?] Draupadi scoffed as she felt her eyebrow twitch. Where she in the same room as Vaishnavi probably would show the tease some of her awakened power…just enough to scare her.

And beat some sense into her.

[Well, technically, I'm his closest copy appearance-wise…so I wouldn't say I'm better than my master, but...]

[I'm sorry, Leviathan, but I aim for the Original…No matter how broken he is.] Thus was the vow of the chaste wife.

To be honest, her aim was the Lotus Feet of the Lord, but there was nothing wrong with serving her husband until her time would come. And try to bring him back home, even if it meant dragging him out of his body screaming.

[Aw phooey! Well, if you change your mind.]

[I'm ending the transition…stay safe, Leviathan. She closed off her connection and sighed.] _'Two out of four guardians are clearly attracted to me…and their Master is none other than my husband... Krishna, I just want my one husband.'_ She wouldn't place it beyond Him to have arranged the same marriage situation as her namesake.

' _I'm supposed to show the example, not the ex_ _ception_ _.'_ She grumbled. Maybe centuries ago, she would be giddy at the prospect but now?

She knew the goal of life, and unlimited conjugal enjoyment was not it.

Leaving the subject of worldly attachment behind, she called upon her subtle potency and connected herself to the machine, opening all eight locks without much trouble. Draupadi let her grin take over; this Virus made things almost too easy. _'It's still like puzzles though…at least it has its use.'_

She was about to step in the teleported…when she realized what she was about to do.

This was not Sigma she would face. It was not a maverick to kill… But X, her mentee, her partner, war buddy, her saviour, the legend, the real hero, the King and master of Neo-arcadia…her Lover …her husband. The one she had been willing to die for again and again…to change her fate, to learn from him… To understand and…become as close to human as her codding, her cage would permit.

X…had been the one to crack the Wily codding and free her. He had taught her how to deal with a difficult situation without violence or anger, how to deal with humans and how to love and emphasize with those around her. Thus opening the door back home, back to Sri-Isopanisad's heart and home. And Back To God...To Krishna.

She…owed so much to him.

And now…she could finally start repaying her debt.

She kneeled to the ground and began to pray.

She prayed for the Lord to guide her, to protect those she held dear, and to save her husband from the clutches of insanity. She prayed to Gauranga and His divine brother Nityananda to kindly forgive whatever offence X could've done and would probably do…like they forgave the offence perpetrated by Jagai and Madhai.

She prayed to Srimati Radharani, the queen of Vrindavana, and she who controls the supreme controller with her crooked glance for her sweet mercy.

Finally, Draupadi prayed to her Guru's…and the disciplic succession and Krishna, the supreme controller, the supper soul in everyone's heart, the source of Sri-Narashima deva and all the innumerable spirit souls in existence for a drop of causeless mercy upon X.

Out of anyone to pray to and knowing she could not postpone it anymore, Draupadi got up, thanked the Lord for whatever he had in plan, and finally entered the lift; she could feel the cameras on her… Her Beloved X had been looking at her ever since she had entered Neo-arcadia.

' _Don't worry,_ _Echo_ _…I'm on my way. I will…no, we will take good care of you."_

After what seemed to be an eternity and a half, Zero walked out of the lift and onto the final floor, creatively called 'area X.'

' _Thank God there's no place called area Zero…that would be so embarrassing.'_

In her heart, she swore she could hear the lord stifle his life-giving laughter.

She walked through the long corridor, noting the ridiculous amount of explosives hidden in the walls, connected to X like the lift had been connected to the guardians and their Mutos.

' _Oh Xiu…'_ Draupadi sadly thought as he disarmed the system and instead of connecting the array to a dummy, so to hide her act for her husband.

She knew X could get a little…desynchronized if things didn't go as plan. _'And he's about to get his with God's plan…Oh, Lord Gauranga, have mercy.'_

Eventually, she came to the door…she stopped.

' _Alright…Let's do this.'_

"Vande Sri Krishna-Chaitanya." She murmured under her breath as she boldly strode forward…

This would work; her guru had blessed her.

She had God at her back…nothing was impossible anymore.

She was not the red ripper anymore, but an instrument of God; her success of failure was in his hands only; she could only endeavour for Him.

The moment she entered the windowless room…she finally caught sight of her husband.

He wore the same armour as his guardians, but his resembled a blue leotard over a pitch-black synth-skin. He had retained his height (not that he was very tall, to begin with.) and his eyes…

Draupadi's fan's choked as she stifled her instinct to draw her blade.

His eyes had taken the distinctive red hue of a Maverick.

X looked at her with neutrality…only betrayed by micro spasm, a sign that something had gone terribly wrong with the blue bomber.

The wide room was built out of iron panels, giving the entire atmosphere a very heavy, depressing mood, especially with all the C4 hidden behind them.

' _Oh Krishna…he looks so tired.'_ Draupadi could not help but notice as she moved ever closer to X.

Suddenly, the guardians' (sans Leviathan) teleported in, their weapon trained onto the Vaishnavi, who sidestepped an air slash, courtesy of one boiling Harpuia.

'Don't take a step more, sinner! Your life ends here!" he roared as he prepared for another devastating attack.

" **Enough,"** X voice…now clearly digital in nature, resounded in the hallowed room. "This does not concern you."

"Master X…" Harpuia turned slightly to face his master, still keeping Draupadi in his sight. " _Please_ let us retire-"

" **This does not concern** **any** **of you, "** X spoke with a shadow of slight annoyance. "This is between Zero and me…leave. I will contact you when it will all be over." He spoke calmly.'

"But…" Harpuia was about to protest, but X silence him with an empty glance.

Draupadi felt her nanite freeze. X was worst than she expected… _'Out of the two, my Xiu always had the most expressive face plate…it's so wrong to see him act and move so mechanically.'_

"Yes, master…" Phantom inclined his head…and Draupadi noticed the reploid had kept his gaze on her feet.

' _Huh…'_

Harpuia gritted his teeth as he almost shattered his blade with his mere grip. He teleported away, but not before sending a good simulation of a bhairava at the Vaishnavi.

Fefnir follows suit after he let out a curse… ruefully gazing at Draupadi.

Finally, the reunited couple were all alone in the room. X red glance never leaving Draupadi as he took her in. she could detect some longing…but it was faint, faded. Covered by a heavy curtain of madness taking shelter behind a vault of indifference.

"Zero…you look well." X began with no emotions.

"You look terrible." The red eyes, the doll-like face plate…He wasn't even _blinking._ X had given up on looking Human...as his creator wanted. "X…listens. I'm here now. I'll-

"How do you like Neo-arcadia…?" Her husband asked with a tilt of his head.

' _So…your just shooting the breeze…you must've really missed me then.'_ she internally snarked while she shrugged. "I don't know. I heard the place was nice and that the Eden dome was the best sun protection humanity could afford…I'm just not sold on the whole 'all reploids are Maverick' policy." She spoke without any heat…she had never been a good diplomat; this had been X forte.

A smile drew itself on X, face…it was not a nice one like he used to do. "Yes…a necessary step. Mother-elf proved to be inefficient in neutralizing the Maverick…steps had to be taken."

A shiver went up Draupadi's nanite tube…this…this was not her husband who was speaking. It was not X who would suffer the worst of injuries if it meant one reploid could be salvage. _'Oh, how our roles changed.'_

"And what did doctor Light think about this plan?" Draupadi asked as she began circling X… She could feel Param-atma warning her that the blue bomber had given up his pacifist endeavour long ago.

"It's irrelevant…" X dismissed, still keeping his red glance on the red legend. "The world had entered a great crisis…Neo-arcadia is the only safe heaven left for humanity at large... it is where they are the happiest…where they can grow and thrive." X opened his arms as if showing his city. "So many sacrifices had to be made for them. But in the end…"

Draupadi snorted. Sacrifice were necessary, but only to the lord of sacrifice; Sri-Vishnu…Krishna. _'Offering oblation onto pigs and chickens will only result in a dirty porch.'_ "X…sacrificing reploids for the pleasure of humans… you're making Lumine and Sigma right about freeing the reploids... and us being slaves to humans.'"

"In the end…humans have to be maintained." He dropped his arms…his voice dead.

"Yeah…and why did you try to kill your precious humans?" Draupadi challenged with an impetuous tilt of her head.

X stared at Draupadi…his gaze reminding the Vaishnavi of a pair of empty camera lenses.

"X…You hacked the resistance base; you tricked Ciel into believing she had to destroy those vital computers." She finally accused, tired of those games. "This…you're acting like a maverick."

"No...I never told her to."

"But you did hint to it." Draupadi countered. Causing X's eyes to bloom somewhat. "You not the only one who learned how to hack Echo."

"then why Didn't you?" X accused, finally, his thick veneer of stability cracking. His eyes fully bloomed, and his so-called smile gone.

"Because my destiny changed. I'm not a force of destruction anymore." She declared instead, stopping her circling.

Her declaration echoed within the cavernous room, her position fully stated.

X stared, his entire frame unmoving, rigid as he computed what the Vaishnavi, the one know as the red ripper, had just said.

"Not a force of destruction?" a spoke after full five seconds as A twisted smile marred X doll-like features. "You?! Not a force of destruction…?" He started to chuckle, low and quiet. And his whole frame began to shake, and his mirth took over to the room.

Draupadi hunched over, her battle algorithm taking over; she could feel her temperature rising as the five war mainframe booted at the critical threat warning.

She bit the inside of her mouth hard...no...no...she could not kill him.

"and how about my guardian's force? The supply train…and Eurasia…" X cackled "you destroyed more than just the orbital station Zero…your always destroying Zero…your destiny is to bring everything to zero...for you are the infinite void, the end...MY END!.". He raised his buster to his wife, his shot already charged and primed. " _ **Don't run away from your fate**_." He changed his armour from his usual blue to something more angelic. Completed with six-bladed wings, their 'feathers' made from hard light.

This…oddly reminded Draupadi of Alouette's' drawing about her.

' _Oh Krishna…that's not a good sign...'_ She prayed as she grabbed her sabre, dodging the buster shots. _'Oh my Lord, oh Saviour of the most fallen, please use me as your instrument of mercy.'_

X took flight, shooting the short-range fighter as he tried to invade her space. Aiming a kick at her core. _' oh come on, that's a rookie mistake. He knows how to beat the spent nanite out of my frame_ -"Draupadi sneered as she dodged his second charge, a very sloppy one at that. She could already see the weak point in the wings joint; she could very easily lop them off at X third pass to make him crash in a steel wall and into the hidden explosives.

 _'That's too easy...X is making it too easy for me! Krishna! He Gaura! Why is he doing this?!'_ Draupadi's prayed as she clamped down on her battle algorithm, batting away the five buster shot aimed by her quarry...she was not...she had to save him.

She could not let loose as she did with Iris... The divine order dancing on her head.

" _ **My dear, have you considered that his goal is not victory."**_ She heard the lord's deep tone resonate in her heart.

Draupadi dispatched her chakra (boomerang shield) as a cover from the rain of bullets. She shot at X, knowing that her buster didn't pack as much punch as his. _'…Oh, start my pyre.'_ How was she supposed to save him if he himself had no desire to be saved?

Draupadi could try to decommission X by beating him until he went to emergency shut down...but with her berserker code on the cusp of activation, she'd rather not take any chances.

And then…

" _Remember Hari Das Thakur, The Namacharya. Born a Muslim but practising Bhakti-yoga, he was persecuted by the Kazi of the time. The demon (* no... Muslims are not demons, just persons who would attack a saint.) send his man to kill him... they whipped him in eleven marketplaces. Still, the Thakur did not protest; he didn't even raise his voice or tried to escape...he chanted the Maha-mantra... he took complete shelter of it. "_ She remembered the words of her spiritual master. " _And the Lord, Sriman Mahaprabhu was forced to lay on his back. For Srila Haridas begged the Lord to spare his would-be killer...thus the Lord, Sri-Krishna Chaitanya, protected his devotee, taking his wounds on His divine back. And how can we forget Jesus Christ, who despite being hung from an olive tree until he died, showed the other cheek."_

' _Turn the other cheek, huh?'_ It would be…suicidal. But she was no stranger to suicidal missions. " _Alright. Let's do this then."_ She surrendered to her Guru's instruction, doing the opposite of what her codding screamed at her and dropped her sabre. _'I'd rather leave this piece of junk than fail her order.'_ Besides, she had left a copy of the sacred data she bore within Alouette …and the instruction to spread them would she fall in battle.

It was obliviously super compressed, but she knew the relatively recent reploid could figure out how to extract them. And re-encrypt them so that all could have access to the ancient, supreme knowledge.

"What's the matter, Zero? Why aren't you destroying me? Why do you hesitate?" X goaded as he managed to strike Draupadi with his bladed wings, sending the old model flying across the room as it left a deep gash across her chest.

"YOU DIDN'T HESITATE WHEN YOU LEFT ME!" He shot her with five charged shots.

She braced herself and took them all—the sweet Names dancing on her lips.

" _YOU DIDN'T HESITATE WHEN YOU BOARDED THE SHUTTLE...WHEN YOU SHUT ME DOWN TO SUICIDE,"_ He tore her apart with a Hadouken, sending the red and black Vaishnavi flying.

"You didn't hesitate when I gave you your sabre… _ **YOU DIDN'T HESITATE WHEN YOU KILLED YOUR IRIS!**_ , you didn't hesitate… ** _. NEVER. HESITATE!_** " X screamed as he struck Draupadi again and again and again...ending with his Giga attack.

The red legend hit the far wall with enough force to kill a human and enough force to dislodge the iron panel and the pipes attached to it. She gritted her teeth, her body had sustained more damage than what she would have liked, but worst was the battle algorithm and Wily's berserker code _commanding_ that she slew the piece of scrap.

It was like a siren song; it would be easy, so easy just to let loose, to follow her original programming, _ **to rip Mega man X apart, to paint the walls red with his nanites and oil.**_

' _No…that's not me anymore…I was never made for destruction; I didn't even have a buster…_ " I _'m not reploid, a robot master or even X wife. I'm the spirit soul in this body…the eternal servant of Gauranga…and my master, my real master, desires me to salvage the glitch.'_ She painfully got up to her feet; she could barely stand. her whole body was wracked with sparking spasm. _'Once again…why did wily programmed pain in this body?'_

' _Because wily didn't make this body…'_

"Fight! FIGHT ME! SCREAM…YELL! TAKE OUT YOUR SABRE AN-D DO AS YOU DID IRIS!"X demanded, his voice box glitching as he aimed his buster at Draupadi again.

'Do as you did, Iris…'

Slay me…

"No." She could feel some Energen mixed with oil and Nanite pouring out of her mouth. Her body had sustained more damage than she had anticipated.

X's eyes widened…and once again, insane laughter shook his frame. "I should have known…you're…you're not my Zero…" he giggled. "Zero never woke up…never woke up again…" He aimed his buster at the Vaishnavi. "You…you gave me hope…a painful hope…but the sinner can never attain salvation." He began charging his buster...was it a super shot? A Haddoken? Another attack more devastating than the rest?

Draupadi knew the state of her frame...she knew she would not survive the next volley. She could only pray that the Lord would let her remember Him at the time of death.

" _ **Draupadi…move forward."**_ She heard from within the confine of her core.

She reopened her eyes and took a determined step forward, ignoring the error message blaring in her UI. She knew some circuit had fried; she knew her helmet was cracked, she knew her oil was low, she knew she was in a critical state…she didn't need a machine to tell her that… Instead, she gritted her teeth and advanced on the maddened X, the berserker code almost activating itself as a last-ditch effort for survival.

The closer she got from X, the more fear entered his maddened eyes.

She took another step forward.

He took a step back.

She took another step forward.

He took another back, keeping his blazing buster fully charged and on her.

She took another step forward, feeling the Nanite-rich oil flowing down her unprotected feet, now damaged by the ruthless barrage and her impromptu flight and crash. Draupadi wasn't sure, but she may have gotten pierced by a random piece of iron stuck somewhere in her abdomen.

At every step, she remembered the Maha-mantra, letting each and every syllable dance on her bitten tongue.

_Hare Krishna Hare Krishna…_

_Krishna Krishna Hare Hare…_

_Hare Rama…Hare Rama…_

… _Rama Rama…Hare Hare…_

"St-stay away." X practically stumbled backward, aiming above Draupadi. "You…you…" He finally reached the back of the death room.

Gone was the ruler, gone was the Master, the legend…instead, she saw her mentee, scared like a cornered animal. Like a child caught with his hands in a butter pot.

She smiled…she felt no pain. And she could hear sweet-sounding ankle bells behind her.

' _Hey Shaksi-Gopal…never expected you to be here …please forgive my husband…he's not in his right mind at the moment.'_ She walked forward. She held her left arm, the thing about ready to fall. She was now right in front of him…mere inches separated them.

X's fully charge buster was aimed at her chest, and Draupadi, free from fear, walked right onto it.

If X wanted…he could very easily destroy her shell with a single buster shot.

He was staring at her…his eyes filled with fear.

"Wh-why are you afraid…X-Xiu Ying?" Draupadi asked as she held his buster, embracing into her breast. "I'm here-here-here now…" She tilted her head. "Wh-why do you…you hesitate?"

She could Xiu's eyes quiver, his venting jittery. "You…no…no…You died…you…you're Not Zero…"

"Yours right….I'm Draupadi Devi dasi…and I'm here to save you." And with those words, The Vaishnavi, the servant of Gauranga, bent's X's buster arm up to the ceiling, embraced her husband, called upon the Virus and did he impossible.

She hacked X.

* * *

More Pain… Familiar pain...welcomed pain flooded his system…the same pain the virus would cause him…the same harm…the same error message…the same warning, the same burning.

' _It's my punishment…the maverick virus…is taking his revenge._ ' The maddened Hero smiled as tears of joy filled his eyes. _'Finally…all sins will be absolved."_

It was the end….

Everything would end…

The Pain would be over...all over...

He lifted all firewalls…all doors, all the gates…he let the plague come in…X took it all, breathing it in, embracing it…drinking it like the best of energene from the lips of his Zero. Now sleeping in a lab lost to time.

Letting it burn everything that he was, incinerating the last remnant of doctor Light's sin, the start of the plague.

This Zero…was not His Zero…and yet…

And yet, they had fulfilled the destiny of Zero…to kill him.

He wrapped his arms around the burning coal of the fake Zero…his copied lover…perfect simulacra, now burning him with the poison of doctor Wily. He embraced her deeply, engulfing this petite illusion of his lover…

He remembered how they were on the battlefield, fierce, beautiful, powerful, ruthless...

And yet at home…away from the eyes of others… Sweet, vulnerable…Fragile and already broken…and loving…oh so loving and devoted.

Oh, so devoted.

As the fiery blessing consumed his synthetic soul, a thought came in his mind…

What if…what if this was Zero?

Only Zero could carry the Virus…and Only Zero, once awakened, knew how to use it.

Not that it mattered in the end…for the Salvation of all was at the end, his death but a mere first step. Idly, X wondered if the burning caused by the virus would be hotter than the flames of hell.

' _Oh, you drama queen."_ He heard his beloved Zero lovingly mock as he slipped into blessed oblivion.

* * *

[Alright…so what's your saying is that being a reploid or a human is only external, like a porch versus a truck, right?] Paon asked Alouette via radio transmission. After Egret's…speech, around ninety percent of the base was now against Zero…if not waiting for death to come and reap them. So to show any favourability to the traitor would be met with reprogramming...if they were lucky.

Andrew almost shook his head, those fools.

[That's what Zero told me. You see, we have nothing to do with this body or our programming. We are the spirit souls, eternal, filled with bliss and consciousness.] Alouette informed them all via conference call. [just like how the driver's not the car, he drives it, and he can see outside the window, but we don't call him mister car.]

[I think. Therefore, I am.] Piped Cardinal, one F-model who Zero had rescued. [No…it goes deeper, I am aware. Therefore I am.]

Andrew imperceptibly nodded from his mc-guivered rocking chair. [it makes sense, don't you think. And yet. I do believe it goes even deeper than that.] he decided to make his presence known to Zero's little fan-club.

[Oh, Mister Andrew, you're listening to us?] The 'old' reploid could hear the little one's worry in her voice.

[Yes, I am…I believe little Totten told me about this 'Zero's loyal followers' fan club. And I thought I fit the bill]. He liked Zero; the Reploid would always take some time to hear this 'old' bot rambling on about his wife, his old job and the like.

He'd even asked questions….sometime…rarely. But it was clear Zero had ears to listen.

[You're not mad that she defected? Coucou asked wearily.]

[defected? No, If Zero's the lover of Master X, then I do believe he-]

[She]

[She would be the right one to bring him back to sanity…not only that, but I like what she thought you Alouette. It pleases the heart.]

[Definitely.] He heard Paon.

[Ya can bet your moustache on it.] This was Coucou.

[Yes…Zero really is our saviour…the saviour of our body, mind and soul.] That was Cardinal.

[Indeed.]Andrew agreed. [But to return to what I was saying, I believe a way to verify the soul is by emotions. He elaborated.[ I have seen plenty of A. I in my life. And while some can emulate emotions... they can never truly emulate the spontaneous reaction and illogical reasoning that accompany them.]

[Actually, it's simpler than that.] Alouette interjected. [Draupadi's notes said that the soul has an eternal ego, But because we've identified with matter, we think were a body. Basically, when we say 'my finger, my head, my brain, my heart.'… We are the 'I' and 'My'; not the body pointed to the child model explained. So, I am Alouette means the I, the soul, am in a body designated Alouette the reploid. Not that I am Alouette, the reploid. And being a soul means I'm made out of eternity, consciousness and bliss.]

The sound of many souls having their minds blown was heard across the waves.

[O.K…now that's pretty amazing.] Coucou spoke.[ I am in a body named Coucou…I'm not Coucou, I'm the soul.] The soft-spoken guard spoke with sheer wonder. [Wow! Man, Zero really got us something great! See Paon; I told you she was a saint!]

[But.] Paon interjected. Suppose were not this body, not this designation. Then who are we?

[We are all servants of God, Sri-Krishna. And that's eternal, but because we wanted to enjoy without him, we got sent to this material world. Here, we have the illusion that Krishna, God's not here or…or he's not really involved. And that we are enjoying without him. But that's not true; Krishna's always with us…that's what Draupadi wrote; she also put some numbers beside it too.] Alouette continued with great enthusiasm.

[Hmm...I see.] Cardinal made a noise of assent.

[Prabhupada wrote in his books how we are all servants by nature.] Alouette continued. [But because we want to be the masters, we are forced to serve those who are not…err...basically, we serve bad masters.]

[But what if we serve ourselves?] Hibou finally managed to get a word in. [How can we be bad masters to ourselves?]

[We can't serve ourselves by serving the body. Prabhupada writes that we serve our mind and senses, and because we serve our mind and senses, we serve more bad masters.] Alouette explained. [the only way to serve the soul, ourselves, is by serving the supreme soul, the super-self...Krishna, or the servants of Krishna.]

[Why?] This, even Andrew, would like to know.

[Because the mind's crazy, look at Egret, he listened to his mind, and now he's starting a riot against Neo-Arcadia and _Zero.]_ the little reploid put great emphasis. And Andrew could just hear the rest of their little group wince.

They knew Zero, they had seen her prowess, and they knew her strength…

[So, the only one, the only best master, is Krishna. But since we can't hear what he wants, we serve a servant of God, a Vaishnava.] Alouette concluded.

[Hmm. And where can we find a Vaishnava? Do they have any external signs? A special way of speaking asked.] Then Andrew heard Paon chuckle.

[Cardi, we already know one; Zero!]

[Yeah, Zero's like…totally a servant of God guys. She has this glow about her and this…this saintliness. I don't know how to explain It.] Coucou added with great enthusiasm. [When I heard her Galdar, my soul...I got healed from despair. Like, like the sun was back in my life and...oh man, Alouette, after this class, can we have more Harinama?] the tall reploid practically begged.

[Sure! This was something Zero wanted us to do. We'll have to be sneaky though. Otherwise, Elipzo's puppet will make trouble for us...but don't worry, Zero gave me ways to have Sankirtana without attracting attention. And she also gave me _everything_ before she...] Alouette grew silent as this heavy feeling descended on the clandestine group. [Before she left.]

After some time, Coucou finally spoke again. [do you…do you think she survived?]

[Of course, she did.] Andrew spoke with as much conviction as he could muster. [This is Zero were talking about, no odds are too great for her.]

[Yeah…but were Talking about _Master X._ the one who practically whipped out The maverick Virus with the Help of Mother-elf, the one who kept getting Upgrades to fight maddened mechalinoids and animaloid maddened due to irregular codding, the one who managed to seal the dark elf long enough to prevent Neo-arcadia from blowing up… The one whose four copies, the guardians gave even Zero some trouble.] Cardinal summed up.[ Zero may be strong… But X…]

[Doesn't have God at his side.] Alouette closed that particular conversation. [Zero will be fine! She has to…] Some sobs escaped the little Reploid. She…she has too.

After that, the group held yet another chanting session in the private com. Channel Alouette had set up for this purpose, praying for Zero's safety.

* * *

Up in Nitya-Navadwip, in the _yoga-pith._ Lord Gauranga smiled...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Srila Harida Thakur is a real person... He was alive more then five hundred years ago. we do have his biographi and his tomb is in Jaghanath Puri, close the ocean.
> 
> Sri-Krishna-Chaitania Mahaprabhu was the one who interred him there.
> 
> well, that was fun to write, I'll see you next chapter folks!


	7. A coming rain cloud over scorched land

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The emperor awakens, his madness banished by the King of all kings.  
> But can he bears the weight of his sins?

_Hare Krishna Hare Krishna_

_Krishna Krishna Hare Hare_

_Hare Rama Hare Rama_

_Rama Rama Hare Hare_

He was floating in a prayer…so sweet and soothing…like the sustaining embrace of a mother, and the protective aura of a father.

This sound…was not of this world, he knew. It was divine in nature, like a person…a best friend looking out for him. an old friend forgotten but still around, waiting for a simple thought, a single call.

Oh…he could simply lose himself in this sound vibration, gently sung to his right aural cone.

Maybe he was signing it with the other…or maybe he was chanting it alone?

X didn't care anymore…finally…finally he was at peace…Finally, he could not hear the unending demands, the conflicts, the bomb falling, scream of the dying…the sins his mere presence had incurred...and the pain...the maddening pain that would make his audio ring like an air raid siren was gone.

It would come back, he knew...but for a moment, he was free from Light's leash.

Instead…he could hear a river gently flowing nearby, some cows mooing in the distance, their bells adding to the pastoral symphony. He could hear peacock meowing in the flower-bearing trees. Buffaloe's lowing as they played in the water, cuckoo's calling out in the trees and bees humming in sweet flowering vines. He could hear ancient dialect used as an everyday language. It was never spoken, only sung sweetly. There were the sound of small bells…children playing…

And a flute played alongside a vina. Accompanying The singer with their sweet cords and attractive melody.

X Opened his eyes…and met with the loving smile of Ellipse. She held his head on her lap, gently stroking his hair as she chanted the divine hymn, chasing away the madness and the pain that had plagued him for so long… Her face was covered with a veil of ancient codes and her body dressed in a white flowing dress made of divine data. Her 'wings' broadcasting the great chant, and her data-halo glowing with the sacred prayer.

"I'm…sorry…" X whispered. "You…you…are not a weapon…I used you… I could not protect you." He could still remember how scared she had been, how angry with the world...the only way X could conceive to protect her was to hold Ellipse in his arms...forever.

But Ellipse had broken free...burning him alive with her divine rays.

X was not meant to remain with even a shred of his beloved.

"It's alright Echo…just rest, I'll be with you soon." She spoke to him, breaking her gentle melody.

X eyes opened wider…this…this was Draupadi's voice… _'How does she know my pet name?'_ He tried to reach for her veil. But…as he was about to grab it, the idyllic picture of the loving Elipse…or was it Draupadi and this peaceful, pastoral life faded away, leaving him wanting for more.

And then…reality slowly but surely crept in.

* * *

X could feel his systems rebooting…he had collapsed it seemed…on top of someone. He could feel the coolant and oils pooling around him…and hair that were a bit too hot to be of human origin splayed all around like a very oily carpet.

He ran a diagnostic scan…nothing was broken, nothing was corrupted, only his Pain chip was disconnected. He could feel his mind clear of the fog, his thoughts now straight, the voice of the past gone.

When was the last time he had felt such peace in himself and the lack of pain? As much as X tried…he could not remember…maybe when he was still learning about the world under the fatherly care of Doctor Cain.

Or in his Zero's arms…when they had the time to act like the couple they were.

Nevertheless, the scan came out much cleaner than what X had expected. _'So… If I'm not broken…then it must be the one under me.'_ He deduced as he tried to remember what had happened and why was he in such close contact whit what could only be an assassin?

Assassin…the image of his dearest Zero emerged from his memory bank… He had been glowing like a sacred icon, and the golden marks shining on His dark synth-skin… It was like the seal of God, more effulgent than the cross and beatific in nature.

This was what had broken the Illusion, Zero had never been one for tattoo's

A half-lion, Half-man shaped entity looming behind Draupadi's heavily damaged frame, baring teeth and glaring at him, the lighting sensors in his eyes had calculated that the amazing entity had the glow of ten thousand suns.

It was the maximum it could calculate.

Had the Assassin…taken the form of Zero? Maybe it was a new reploid made by Ciel to finally put a stop to his madness? But then, why those decorations and why giving her a female designation from the get-go, wouldn't it be more logical to make a historically 'perfect' copy?

If that was the case, then X will readily admit that the little genius had really outdone herself, despite some design flaws. Ciel had gone above and beyond what the Master of Neo-Arcadia had expected of her.

Unfortunately… No one could replace his Zero. Neither in skills nor their ruthlessness for the enemies.

The master of Neo-Arcadia finally dained it appropriates to get up from Draupadi… Ciel's most wonderful and heartbreaking failure. The new-build did not even try to fight…she had just let X rain destruction upon her. And as much as he tried to figure out _why_ she had dropped her sabre, something his Zero would _never_ do unless to save X. He only knew that she had tried to reach to him...and had...had...

X had no idea what she did...only that her lips had covered his, and she had embraced him just as Zero would...and that was the last thing the master of Neo-arcadia knew.

The assassin…probably a high-performance new-built, was laying in a pool of her oil and fluids, her long hair splayed out, framing her black body like a golden halo. She had a deep gash across her chest, revealing a pair of Data-crystal, and her brightly glowing core.

She looked strikingly like Zero, saved for the U-shaped marking in her head gem and body. She only failed at the lens's colour…

Zero's eyes were an intense ice blue. Cold-like frozen daggers for his enemies, warm, kind, passionate and _loving_ for X.

X brushed a thumb against her oil-stained cheek…she looked perfect. From her nose, lips, beautiful, long blond hair to the two green data-crystal mimicking this particular part of the female anatomy, she looked _exactly like his dear Zero._

The mechanical angel bit his lips as his core painfully squeezed. _'No…she can't be my Zero…My Zero…Didn't wake up…_ _She's_ _…_ _He's_ _still sleeping in the lab…Finally at peace.'_ Some tears fell from his eyes and onto Draupadi Devi Dasi's peaceful face.

Ciel' nearly perfect assassin Stirred. Once again, the supreme peace formula flowed from her voice box like a river in the desert.1

X's eyes open wide… She had survived his assault. But it was clear she was in dire need of repair if he were to trust the two diagnosis lights and the copied Z-brain flashing.

And the fact that he'd practically lopped off her left arm and shot enough buster shoot to take out a mundo mechaniloid. For her to be reciting this same prayer in her state, when her whole frame was in total shut-down...

Once again, X had to applaud Ciel for her engineering skills. Even after raining destruction on the heart-breaking Copy, she was still functional. Privately, X wondered if he could take the technology for his guardians...or Maybe he could...persuade Draupadi to join them...

She had failed at Ciel's (and X's) task. But the Founder and ruler of Neo-arcadia was not blind to skills. Just as His Zero wanted him to be.

 _'What would he think of me_ now?' X could write a pretty accurate book about that, but now, he had to... Take care of Draupadi Devi Dasi.

Of course, the normal procedure required the azure angel to terminate the maverick. Like all the assassins and reploids he had to decommission…

But…this felt different. Draupadi didn't even attempt to attack him. And while she had decimated a few squadrons full of mechaniloids and assorted pantheon, there had been no human casualty…not even on the reploid side.

' _This…does not make sense. If she was sent to kill me, then why spare my copies and their commander? Why did she hack me? And why…why did she spare my wretched life?'_ Once again, X had to wonder…was he really back to sanity? There was no way he could even consider to keep going like he had for centuries...

Was she the reason he was back to sanity? For the pain...the pain chip to be off?

He picked her off the ground, an angel of death who gave up her flaming sword, Nemesis with a change of heart.

Nevertheless, he didn't have the particular intention to stay in his execution room anymore…X had no idea what to do, but getting Draupadi Devi Dasi to the medical level seemed like a good idea. And thus, after returning to his default armour, the master of Neo-arcadia, along with his saviour transponded to the medical ward, where he knew he was waited on.

* * *

"Master X!" Harpuia was the only one in the room, the other three were in different parts of the base, Leviathan was worried, Fefnir was angry beyond reason and Phantom?

Meditating...as always when things didn't go as planned.

The general of the brave sky squadron was about to give his reverence when he noticed the damaged reploid in his arms.

Needless to say, Harpuia had his blades out, s with a look of complete confusion. "M… Master…what is the meaning of this?" He asked, and X could detect some feeling of betrayal in his voice.

"It's alright Harpuia, Draupadi…" He looked down at the serene…if oil-covered face of the one who had given him hope. Once again, he had to marvel at how much she looked like his beloved. "Draupadi was sent by Ciel…but for some reason, she couldn't muster the courage needed to end me." He whispered, mesmerized by the movement of her lips, and the ancient syllables that flowed from them.

"So...she's not Zero?"

"... No..." then X paused. "The action's going up the tower and her skill's in fighting are more or less on par with him...But Zero, as you know is...was identifying as a male. "Most of the time. "She called Herself Draupadi Devi Dasi...and she _hesitated. She never went for the kill."_ He practically spat but.

She shamed his Lover's memory in so many ways, he must be spinning in his... _' No...this doesn't apply for him... He's gone... I'm just being a sap right now.'_ Still, for what she was, Draupadi was practically a near-perfect Copy physically wise.

X had followed the failed Assassin since that time, still under the illusion that his Zero had once again returned from the magnetic pit. He knew Leviathan had been the one who let her in, he knew Draupadi had spoken to her about how he used to be, he even had the pleasure of seeing the one he had tough was Zero smiles.

It had warmed his core for a time… And he had to admit, he had no idea Ciel could manage to find enough information on him and Zero to make Draupadi pass even his Own initial scrutiny.

And he also knew his female copy had been …flirting very heavily with Zero's copy.

This…was not at all a proper conduit for one of his guardian, and yet, X had to find a way to thank Leviathan somehow…by passing it as a suitable punishment, of course.

He had seen Draupadi lied about her identity…and he and Zero's marital status. But the moment she had exited the lift…she had hacked the cameras, X only knew that—whatever she did had required three out of his four guardians to reboot.

He had the heart wrenching pleasure of seeing Draupadi tear trough countless squad units of pantheons and mechaniloids in a very familiar way…he had seen her use the kuuenzan, her decent aim and fluid motions…it was clear she was not a stranger to fighting.

At those moments, X, in the hazes of insanity had thought she was his Zero, his salvation returned from beyond the grave, here to drag him to where Reploids went once their hardware failed for good.

He looked back to the peaceful face of the failed assassin…she looked, moved, and fought just like his Zero and yet…

"Master X…She is still trying to infect us." Harpuia's fearful tones were hidden in a thin veneer of pride. "What a fool, I never thought the legendary Zero could let her emotions get in the way…" X could hear so relief in his sky general's voice. "Of course, being a copy of the glitched, virus-infested original, nothing less could've been expected."

"Indeed." X gritted through a clenched jaw, ignoring the slight to his deceased lover...but planning a fitting rebuke to ensured that Harpuia would never dare denigrate the great hero in red.

Still, he had a point. Zero would've never done such a thing. Even if they had absolutely….zero sense of self-preservation. Well, not quite, If X was in danger, Zero would readily trow his life away if it meant his partner would be saved from an injury. But otherwise, his partner would always to his danm best to come back in more or less one piece, as long as it was the most logical and efficient option, of course.

X made his way to the medical-grade capsule and gently laid Draupadi in it. His brows furrowed. _'But…what if it_ was _my Zero?'_ came his traitorous thought. Once again, the red legend had a knack for going against his expectation.

' _Never act according to a pattern, that's how you get killed.'_ He had once told him, And this came from a reploid whose codding practically rail-road them to act a certain way…at least until it almost killed his Beloved after…that incident. Forcing X to plug into him with the very dim hope that he could somehow reprogram him…or at least remove the emotional suppressor that had caused Zero to freeze in the middle of the hallway and unable to reboot.

And that was how they realized...or at least Zero finally realized he...Loved X more than he had loved Iris. His feeling of protection, maintenance and even destruction of everything that threatened his best friend's well-being and happiness culminating in a love and devotion only seen in those old married couples who took their vows seriously.

Looking at the copy of his lover, he could not help but wince at her state. Now under better light, X could see how deep the gash had cut her chest, the burnt off Sili-carbon synth skin, exposing fried off circuitry. And it was clear her left arm needed to be reattached. There were also the numerous shrapnels and this one pipe jutting from her side that had to be removed.

' _Oh Zero…you never change.'_ X thought fondly as he connected the failed assassin to the computer. _'Ah…even your copy has this same bad habit…too bad she doesn't have your resolve.'_

then he paused as he looked at her upper back…the ports that should be there were gone, and instead, a holster was there. It looked like a very decent job of a mod, but still, it meant that the copy had one less medial output. _'_ _No…this is not Zero were talking about, Draupadi Devi Dasi's design differs from Zero.'_ It was either an oversight from Ciel, or the Genius did not study X's lover's blueprint carefully enough.

The new ones, not the old model.

"Master X…" Harpuia began as he stood beside his master. " With all due respect sir…in my humble opinion, I do believe it would have been wiser to…retire the hacker for her sin of-"

"Harpuia, I know what I'm doing." X interrupted Harpuia, he didn't have the head to argue…nor did he had _any_ idea what he was doing. "I will give her some basic repairs and then interrogate her. Besides, she…didn't show me any signs of aggression." He heard's his Sky general's aperture bloom wider.

Instead of telling everything to the green Harpy, the blue bomber turned to the computer…and froze.

It was glowing a very, upsettingly magenta.

X eyes widened…this was the virus, the Z…no…no…it couldn't be…

Zero was dead…this was but a copy…his beloved didn't wake up…they were still…they had been deleted by the fat-fingered scientist… Meaning that the source of the maverick virus was gone for good. Gone with them…

Unless…this was Zero's body with another A.I stuffed in it. _'No…that's impossible, The Virus could only react to Zero's will once awaken...no other Navi can control it!"_

Or… A chill crawled up Mega Man X's spine.

"Harpuia… Evacuate whatever Reploids are left in Neo-arcadia… Kill them if needed." He addressed his left-hand man with a confidence that hid his greatest fear.

_'It's about to start again...I'm back...only to face the plague once more.'_

No, this virus had only infected a computer…something that was not a reploid. Already, Master X partitioned off the entire med-floor from the rest of the Neo-arcadian's network.

Suddenly, the computer opened its chatting program. _'Wait…does she want to…is it the virus who wants to communicate? No, It has to be Draupadi.'_ X thought as he aimed his buster at the assasi-…no, Ciel's Trojan. _'Alright…forget my plan, Ciel can't live any longer, not is she managed to somehow reverse-engineer the maverick virus.'_ He had killed enough …seen and heard enough to be willing to enact the Zeroth law…

The earth could not afford another maverick war...

The green sky General was out the door faster than the wind, leaving X to face off his worst nightmare…once again in full sanity.

"What have I done to deserve this?" He whispered as he aimed his buster at Draupadi, his core breaking in pieces at the act it would do.

It would be so much easier if only Draupadi would fight for her life...would snarl and aim at X's final destruction...not sleeping in a medical capsule.

 _Everything_ was screaming at him not to do it…his heart, his battered morality, but X knew he had to do it on an intellectual level.

He would not hesitate.

Suddenly…something came on the screen…' _don't expect any mercy Sigma, I have none to give.'_ And then his vent's stilled…

[[DWN-Infinity- (0000) (Zero) is typing.]]

X's mouth fell open…no it couldn't be, this must be an illusion.

[[Hare Krishna, Xiu Ying… Or do you want me to use Anon_X?]] Zero asked. And he could just hear his...her teasing tone.

X couldn't answer…how could he?

[[You've really gotten stronger since the last time we fought, Echo. Bet vile won't be giving you any more problems now. No, wait… Sigma…bet you could take him down without me this time.]]

The master of Neo-Arcadia lowered his weapon…he felt the lenses cleaner welling up and his vent choke...purely human reactions he thought he had gotten rid of years ago.

No one knew of his pet name...No one knew his Zero would call him Echo.

[[Also, good call about evacuating whatever reploids remain in Neo-arcadia…but I don't think Harpuia needs to kill any of them. It's not like I'm gonna spread it further than this computer you know. Don't want another war now don't we?]]

"Who…who are you?" X faintly managed to ask the blond, black and red reploid. He could see that she was aware, her eyes half-lidded, her service light indicating that her systems were in need of repair. "Are you Draupadi or…are you… Is it you?" He didn't want to say it…fearing their name as much as he loved them.

[[Yes… It's me X. I'm the same Zero, the same Zaki you stupidly fell in love with... and who fell for you as hard.]] X felt the reploid…his Zero reach for his hand. [[I'm the one whom you almost die trying to salvage, falling for the most oblivious trap like a rookie. I'm the one who saved you during this whole doppler town debacle…and I'm the one you had to hack after Iris died. And I'm the one who boarded Eurasia after besting you in a fight.]] A slight smile drew itself on…on her 'bruised' lips. [[Glad you grew stronger Echo…much stronger…]]

"I-I-I…I'm p-proud of y-ou." She rasped before falling silent. All of her energy spent in this simple act of communication.

X stared at Zero…who had managed to once again return from the dead…only to face him at his worst.

He fell to his knees, his legs growing weak. ' _-I almost killed them…"_ His zero...the one is seen as his salvation, his beloved, his only friend.

He had tried to kill her...only because she ultimately followed his desires, desires and intent he had impressed on Ciel.

Zero...was innocent...and he was the real hero, the one who had, as per usual, sacrificed his life for X...

X, on the other hand, knew that the same could be not be said for him.

Still, Zero was a marked criminal, and such had to be dealt with accordingly...

X got up, and went to the wall, opening a hidden compartment and taking out the tools he needed for the coming task. Then, he returned to… Draupadi? Zero? He returned loved and began his work in complete silence, the movement familiar.

First, he removed his...her helmet, reverantialy putting it on a convenient tray. Then he made a loose braid with her golden locks. Hanging the roped heat sink over the repair pod's side and into an awaiting bucket of super chilled water, the recirculator set to above freezing. And then he began assessing the damage he had done…

After that…he took a small break to fall at her feet weeping at the horrible act he had just committed. His only comfort the fact that Zero was still with him somehow and that no one else was with him at the moment.

He could have defended himself, for Madness was still the best get-out-of-jail card out there, but X didn't want to make this claim. He didn't want to be excused over his insanity.

Father Gregory Cain had raised him as a responsible robot, not a coward.

Rising up, X resumed his work; he removed the ruined armoured Vest and let out a sigh of relief as he noticed the Data-gems were unscathed, only the quartz covering were damaged. The diamond battery was untouched and the main sub-tank was unscathed…if pretty empty. The rest was scorched, torn and drenched in oil and coolant flowing from numerous broken lines of fuel and coolant that course through Zero's body.

X went to another hidden compartment and took out a medical-grade E-tank…and then Contacted Harpuia.

[[Master X! Statues report pl-]]

[[Harpuia, I'm fine...Zero just wanted to speak to me." He revealed...and yet, it still felt so unreal to the blue bomber.

[[But... Master, I thought She was a fake!]]

[[She's not... My Zero really did return...and...]] _'he saved me...she took care of me.'_ But not the Way X had desired...

But what he had needed.

[[Listen carefully, forget all the instruction I gave you to-]] X paused for a millisecond as he reviewed his instruction to given to his guardians over the past four years. [[scratch that. To all my Guardians, forget all instruction about the culling of Civilian grade reploids, That's an order.]]

[[Oh Thank God! Zero made it!]] Leviathan cheered. [[ I knew there was a reason I liked her!]]

[[Yo, don't sound so happy 'bout it, Ice-glitch!]] And this was Fefnir. [[Wait until I melt this stupid ice-berg of yours you who-]]

[[That's enough Fefnir, I'll take it from here.]] X interrupted before it went out of hand. Meanwhile, he attached the medical-grade nanites/assorted fluid container to His Zero and began to remove whatever debris and shrapnels had lodged themselves In her body. Trying without success to keep the guilt he felt at bay. [[I need you to defuse and decommissione the explosives in area X, they are hidden behind the walls.]]

' _ **I'm…s-o… Proud of yo-u.'**_ Zero sincere words echoed within his memory, X never thought that her words of praise would cause more pain than if she had rightfully screamed at him. Dared he say, that it cut deeper the legendary Z-sabre.

[[Wait…why would… Alright, master X. I'll do it.]] Fefnir confirmed.

[[And leave leviathan alone, she performed above and beyond what had asked of her. Phantom, whatever orders I gave you please ignore them.]] He addressed his assassin. Hoping that he was not too late.

[[Affirmative, taicho.]]

X sighed as he removed the pipe that jutted from Zero sides, his hands covered in his beloved reddish oil. _'_ _would she be human...'_ Never in his life was he thankful that Zero was build like a tiny, sometimes awkward, but always deadly tank... and not made out of soft, irreplaceable parts. [[Leviathan? ]] He contacted his blue copy.

[[Yes master X?]]

[[Thank you…thank you for letting Zero in …you…you saved my life.]] X admitted.

[[Master X...That was the plan anyway.]] She replied, her confusion clear.

[[You...you let her in through her message.]] he could still remember the first time he'd heard the divine Hare Krishna code...and the effect it had on him.

He did not receive an answer from Leviathan, he took this opportunity to start repairing Zero's inner working.

[[You're welcome… Master X.]] Leviathan spoke meekly. [[Master X, may I ask you a question?]] She asked.

[[Go, I have nothing to hide.]] X radioed as he began cleaning the broken inner component of Zero's body, making it easier for the medical-grade nanites work in tandem with his lover's own self-repair. This was a very encouraging sign, a dead Zero had no use for medical nanites.

It would still take days until the true Hero of the maverick could be in working order... Days X would remain at her side.

No, his so-called duty to Neo-arcadia could wait, his Ark had functioned even when he wasn't...he had no doubt it would keep on striving for the amount of time Zero needed to mend himself...hidden from view.

Yes...he did chuckle at the inside joke. But his mirth was short-lived.

[[I almost killed her…]] He realized as he looked at the deep gash across Zero's chest and breast, the ghastly tear would have been fatal for a lesser frame.

[[Almost? Sir, what's her status?]] Leviathan asked, her tone panicked.

' _Ah… I let my thoughts filter through.'_ [[She's alive…and recovering.]]

[[Oh good. Anyway, I wanted to know…was Zero always an F-model?]]

[[You've already asked me that.]]

[[I know master, but 'it's complicated' just won't cut it for me…also, when did you marry?]]

X paused…[[Zero's gender fluid...as gender fluid as a R-Reploid can be.]] He caught his slip. [[We didn't marry. Zero and were…" his vents hitched. [[We are…]]

[[Lovers?]]

X remained silent, could he even be considered that again? He clenched his jaw as he 'tried' to turn off his tear duct. a featured he had thought he had deleted the week after they had...

Nevertheless, this particular code was back...and working overtime.

Yes…so Zero had managed to pull off the impossible again and had Hacked him. Hacking a reploid was taboo enough, but to do this to him?

That was a miracle. But what was more astonishing was what Zero did to him.

Instead of deleting him, turning X...a proper viral maverick or forcing him to do a factory reset, his returned Hero did a forced defrag and triggered his last system snapshot. The one they had exchanged one night after facing a maverick whose infection had been caused by a bad update.

X never expected Zero to have remembered it, let alone kept it for so long. His beloved had used the Log to manually restore him. Not only that, but the Pain chip was corrupted...releasing X from his endless torture.

At least, until the variable system fixes the vile thing...X's only fail-safe.

"I don't deserve you." He addressed his saviour, her pretty face still bearing the sing of...of her sacrifice.

[[Master X?]] Leviathan called him.

[[I'm….I'm sorry…I…]] His emotions, return to normal, didn't let the blue bomber have peace.

[[Master X…She still loves you.]]

X let out yet another sob in the white and sterile what she had been willing to do to restore him… he fell to his knees again, praying, begging, beseeching whoever had sent his Zero to please, _please..._

_Please_ _let her live...let her survive…or free her from this ugly world. and let him suffer whatever cruel faith had in store for her._

' _..what I did was inexcusable...only d...no...not even that will be able to absolve me.'_ he whipped his tears and got to his feet.

The connection became silent, all of His guardians had been updated about the situation. Now alone with his unconscious lover (his fault.) X resumed fixing Zero…and hoping his blurry vision would not cause him to make another mistake.

He lost track of time, absorbed in his work, forgot to recharge, forgo his usually Data-cleaning duty to keep the uranet manageable and...no...he wasn't really needed by the humans, he knew. It was yet another lie...

Eventually, Zero's left arm was reattached, and her frame cleaned and repaired as much as he could. Whatever had to be replaced was changed, what had to be re-solder were now secure...

There was nothing else he could do now... he could only wait and pray in the hope that God would show kindness to a synthetic soul.

And then...he gazed at the computer. Zero was booting up...going around her berserker program. it was as if she was waking up normally as if X didn't nearly destroy her.

his venting hitched as fear and shame fought for dominance...X wanted to run and yet...he was not a coward, he would not run away from his mistake, from his lover! He would...he would...

"Ech...o?" Zero opened her eyes again, turning the two purple orbs toward him…and X averted his gaze.

He wanted to run, to escape this feeling of shame. And yet, he knew he couldn't.

"X…" Zero reached for his hand, and the Azure angel snapped his limb away.

What was he supposed to do? How was he supposed to react? He felt so lost, so scared…

X tried to move away from his Zero, caught in a state of panic fuel by the knowledge that he had sabotaged whatever he'd done in the past…he had turned Maverick.

He had turned as his worst enemy…

He had…he had…

He felt Zero jump out the pod, he tried to get away from his mentor, his best friend…his lover, the one who sacrificed her life for his ideals…

Ideals he had carelessly thrown away years ago, ideals he had given up on…ideals that were unrealistic in the first place.

Ideals Zero had often scoffed at, warning him not to get his hopes up.

Warnings he had ignored out of pride...and blind obeisances to a race known for its atrocity and overconsumption.

Zero grabbed his receding hand, clutching it in her grip. "X…Echo…"

X could've easily broken the link…but he couldn't…He was frozen in place.

He didn't want to look at her.

He didn't want to see his mentor's disappointment…

He didn't want to see his friend's hard gaze as no words would escape his lips…

He didn't want to…he didn't want to see this gaze break apart in confusion…

And yet he longed to feel her anger, the blaze of hell had nothing on a Fuming Zero...and X knew he deserved it and yet...

"Echo…Look at me." Zero spoke, her voice sweet and filled with a compassion X never heard before from his usual ruthless partner. One who would never mince words one whose main directive was to destroy X and everything else.

This compassion...this mercy he didn't deserve...it _burned him_.

He turned his head, a pool of amethyst met his verdant gaze.

There was no anger, no hatred, no disappointment… Only a deep concern X saw but a scant few times dance in those eyes.

Nothing made sense anymore…It was his Zero, as was proven by their serial number and yet…

And Yet she didn't act like him.

Nothing made sense anymore.

"X…Echo. It's me…I'm he-here now." She spoke gently, pulling him in her embrace. Her arms around his neck.

She was small…but then, it had been her decision to be shorter than him…all those years ago. and yet...even at her new height, she never failed to...to cover X in their protective aura...

as always...

X…broke down.

No…not broke down. He was already broken…He finally showed all of his wounds…all of his scars…

He was not a master.

He was not a ruler.

He was not a legend, a hero, the one who send sigma to Hell over and over again.

He was not the father of all Reploids.

He was not even this very awkward B-ranked hunter Hanging on Zero's coat tail…

He was scared…He was confused…he felt trap in a cage he had himself made with the spoils of wars…a utopia ultimately build on the slain bones of his forefather and the blood of his friends turned enemy.

As he sobbed, Zero gently ran her hand in soothing circles on his back. "It's alright Echo…We'll go through this together…It's not the end of the world, just another very rough start." She whispered in his right audial cone.

X let out a mix between a sob and laughter…this had been a phrase doctor Cain had used often…and a phrase X had adopted.

It was practically his motto by now…

"Zaki…Wh…what am I supposed to do?...how am I supposed to fix this?... I've…I destroyed…so many live gone… Reploids are hated again… It's all my fault…" X sobbed anew as he buried his face in Zero's shoulder. He could not see how this could be a start…

He had turned maverick...he had to be put down...it was the only way.

Zero kept rubbing his back, still very quiet saved for the glorious sound of her live hardware. He heard her lick her lips, once again, taking the master of Neo-arcadia by surprise.

Zero barely had any human ticks, even blinking and other subtle movements that only an organic body could make had to be modded to them.

Something X had later realized was extremely foolish and stupid of him, a machine could not become human...this was real life, not a fairy tale.

"Echo…my Xiu Ying." _'My brave warrior.'_ "You can start by chanting Hare Krishna…" She proposed her voice very even. "That would be a good place to start...we can deal with the rest after you get better..."

Usually, when Zero's voice sounded flat, it was because he... she expected to be ignored, rejected or ridiculed. This…X, could not help but deepen the embrace. "Hare Krishna… That's the everlasting peace formula…that's what you recited in my ear at the base"

A mix of joy and shame flooded his system. The resistance was supposed to be a new start for the synthetic and humankind…and he had mercilessly sent his troops to slaughter them at every given occasion, seeing this as a worthy sacrifice.

A sacrifice to summon the God of his destruction, the Real Hero of legend. His beloved Zero...

It worked... Somehow, his scheme had worked...just not the way he intended...

He bit his lips…so many sins he had committed. His hands were eternally stained with blood and oil… He buried his face deeper in Zero's shoulder. And his partner gently hushed his pain and his guilt as she began chanting the peace formula.

And as he began to chant with her...he felt his sins lifted from his shoulders.

_Hare Krishna Hare Krishna…Krishna Krishna Hare Hare_

_Hare Rama Hare Rama…Rama Rama Hare Hare_

* * *

And thus end the first wave of mercy, as written by the servent of the servant of Lord Sri Krishna. Stay tune for wave number two.


	8. A sudden flare up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some unfinished business, a plague of the pass gone, a new chapter is about to unfold for the one born of fire and the emperor in blue.

A sudden flare-up.

* * *

They stood in front of the medical floor's main door; purple data oozed from the white slider like the virulent disease it was, looking for a way to spread itself to other organisms…other Reploids.

The four guardians, immune to its devastating effect, held their weapons, apprehensive of what they would find behind it.

"I hope you're proud of yourself, Yoshou..." Phantom hissed at his foolish co-build. The blue guardian remained silent, not meeting his gaze. " If we manage to make it out...and rescue master X, we 'may' be more clement onto you."

"Forget clemency, Phantom...I will fragging tear her apart." Fafnir spat.

For his part, Harpuia remained silently fuming. His lashing tongue stilled by fear for his master's well-being...and in deep rage at Leviathan and the lying Glitch.

' _When I'm through with them, not enough will be left to be blown in the breeze,'_ he gritted his jaws...already planning what to do with Leviathan after they managed to pull Master X out of the cyber-sesspool. _'Nah...let Master X deal with her, let her shame and guilt be her teachers.'_

Speaking of with, the corrupted data-stream kept...looking at them, for lack of a better word, having made an 'eye' out of a camera. The four guardians took a fighting stance, ready for anything Zero could send them...even a clone of the second plague, Sigma.

Or the mythical Zero Space, an area only spoke in awed whispers. It usual by these weirdos worshipping the Synth-devil…

Well... Leviathan called them weirdos; Harpuia called them very accurate and dangerous.

So one could easily picture their disappointment when the door slid open soundlessly, and nothing came out. Only an ominous beckoning of the Virus was all they had.

The four guardians looked at one another...this was not the time to quarrel; Neo-arcadia's safety was at risk...and Master X's dream of everlasting peace even more so.

What to say about his beloved master safety, now jeopardized by a click-bait. His own co-model, no less.

They entered the usually white room, now tainted with the various shades of the virus flowing from the virulent form of Zero. She sat there in the middle of the cavernous room, her legs comfortably crossed as she held Master X onto her laps. His body was limp, his head supported by the witch's shoulder. His system quiet, save for the eerie hum of the accursed virus... The purple plague flowing like a tendril from its propagator, caressing X's sacred body like a lover's hand.

X's face seemed serene as if sleeping peacefully.

[see Leviathan? See what you let in?] Harpuia sends to his sister, making sure to twist the knife in.

"Leviathan...thank you for letting me in." Zero thanked the blue Sinner. With a kind smile turned gruesome by the purple etching marking her face," I could not have done it without you."

"Cut the crap, you witch!" Fefnir roared, Gomorrah and Sodom strained on the source. "Let go of master X RIGHT NOW _IF YOU CARE ABOUT YOUR PRECIOUS LIFE!"_ He roared.

"No...my life's not yours to end." Zero informed the red fighter. "And I care more about my husband's well-being than my own."

"Then if you care about your 'Husband' then give him to us, his guardians." It was Phantom's turn; for some reason, the assassin was trying to get through the Trojan with logic instead of his blade.

Zero sneered. "Oh, so you may stuff him in a golden cage again? Why don't you give him a-a nice Spi-ike-pit so that he may end it all in style while yo-ur at it!"

Their collective fan stilled. And Zero 'tsk.'

"Let me spell it ou-t for you; X wanted death...and I din-d't deliver. But put him back on his throne, without me by his side, and he won't mi-ss next time."

"How dare you insinuate that, our master-" Harpuia hissed, outraged at the insinuation.

"I'm n-not insinuating anything, Harpuia!" She snapped. "I know my X, and I-I know how he fights. " Pure disgust twisted her (admittedly pretty.) features. "He didn't fight to-o win...even the room we fought in was design to e-end his life."

Harpuia heard a minimal intake of air from Fefnir.

[Fefnir...is this true?] Harpuia asked.

The red firefighter remained uncharacteristically quiet. And instead...phantom spoke.

[It is.]

[Phantom, I didn't-]

[No, Har...both are right.] Fefnir admitted over their radio frequencies. [I...Master X asked me to defuse the bomb rig behind Area X's walls.]

[WHAT!]

[Yeah...it was filled with highly reactive material...and the detonator was connected to master X... He had to be in the room to activate it.] The usually boisterous general 'spoke' quietly; even his countenance showed how...deeply disturbed he felt.

" Do you even know what protecting someone means?" Zero interrupted., her violet eyes flashing with repressed anger.

Harpuia bristled. "To guard means to protect the charge of harms by any means necessary." he took his blades out. "Which included killing you, the sinner who broke his heart and who had the gals to haunt him again!" He spat.

Zero had the decency to lowered her eyes but rose them up again; this time, a certain melancholy pervaded them. "X... That what he wanted."

"Bet he also wanted to be dumped." Fefnir sneered as he once again aimed at the heart of the Viral spread. " You broke him first."

"No...countless w-w-ars did." She rasped, her eyes taking the sharp edge of a haunted man." Do you know why I did this?" Draupadi asked, her gaze softening marginally.

"As if we care, Maverick!" Fefnir spat.

"I sacrifice my-self so that his dre-eam for eternal peace could come true," she explained, her voice even and calm, if not a touch melancholic. "I-I am the source of the maverick virus, and by extension, the only one who could provide the li-ve virus to make a cure from. But for this...I could not remain with him." She revealed her voice chip wavering, and Harpuia almost called her out on her lie. "I ha-had to...I had to die."

She continued. Mother-Elf? The Anti-virus That aided X in practically ridding the world of the sigma-Virus?" A sad smile drew on her lips. "That was one of the results of my sacri-ifice."

"And we all know how that ended," Phantom commented, his emotion unreadable as always.

"As I said, this was one o-of the result of my sacrifice..." Zero spoke quietly, readjusting X in her grip. "To be honest, we are not all that different...we both tried to save him, to make X happy. Our attempt ended in a near disaster." she let out a self-deprecating chuckle. "When I left... I had tho-ought he would get over it...that the new era of peace would let him heal..."

"But the era of peace was preceded by the elf-war." Phantom lowered his head.

"Yes...one last war. Once. Last, God Forsaking war...and something called a calamity." Zero snorted as she held Master X closer. "Typical."

"But...this was beyond your power." Phantom conciliated, and Harpuia clenched his fist.

_[Phantom, she's lying...]_

"Yes...that's what happens to people around me. " Zero spoke dryly. "And since I'm married to X, he got the worst of it."

"HAH! Right, you may try to get another fast one on us, Zero, but there was no record of you and X tying the knot," Fefnir scoffed.

Zero closed her eyes and sighed. "We did marry in Front of God and his eternal Consort...it was a Gandharva wedding, and it was good enough for Them." she glances at X, running a hand on his Face…

Harpuia could practically feel the virus crawling on his skin. They may be immune to the plague...but it didn't mean they could feel some of its effects.

"But… you were convoked not to discuss our marital status, or even about me proclaiming my innocence." once again, patient Zero bore all the guardians with her heavy gaze, the same one a strict leader would use to cow his unruly subordinate. "While I did what I did thinking for the best...all of you used my husband's depression to get drunk on power and suppress _those you were supposed to protect..._ Draupadi hissed. " _Sigma would've been so proud of you."_

"WE DIDN'T OPPRESS ANYONE!" Harpuia vehemently denied. "WE FOLLOWED HIS ORDERS!"

Zero's pressed her lips in a thin line. "Yes...you blindly followed the order of a suicidal man without wondering why the father of all Reploids would want the destruction of his descendant over a lie..."

"What lies?" Phantom asked.

"The energy crisis," Zero answered. "I heard from the resistance that Neo-arcadia was running out of resources to make E-crystal and energene. And that Human needed those resources more than the Synth-kind" she shook her head...gently as not to jostle X. " Humans need the energene as much as they need booze and plastic, Reploids can recharge using the sun. And last I know, the sun is still shinning. "

"No...no anymore." Leviathan finally broke her silence. "Only the previous generation could recharge like that. The current models don't have this ability anymore."

Zero stared owlishly at the water moccasin. "Why?"

"The Cataclysm." Phantom shortly answered, to Zero's great annoyance.

" I was lurking in the Uranet for fifty years, and I lost fifty more to a corrupted drive. Please, elaborate more for this old woman," she spoke with clear annoyance, the Virus responding to her mood.

Harpuia sneered, and Fefnir said something to the effect that the old warrior was suffering from overfilled cash.

Phantom cleared his throat. "The cataclysm refers to a time were...another plague affected the Reploids."

"Another plague." Zero repeated tiredly.

' _I will give her that; the witch knows how to fake it.'_ Harpuia tough with a sneer.

"The solar-flare virus. It would cause sun-charging Reploids to...over-charge for lack of better words and violently explode without any forewarning. This...was the Dark-Elf's curse."

"He Bhagavan!" Zero exclaimed as she held...her hostage closer. Harpuia could only hope Master X would be unharmed. "What was the solution? What happened to the survivors."

Phantom looked away. And Leviathan spoke for him.

"The Old sun-chargers went into a self-imposed exile one night...X was the only survivor."

Zero's eyes grew even wider in horror. And her grip on Neo-arcadia's glorious leader grew tighter.

"...I believe...no, the event worsened his condition. And a week later, he...tried to seal the Dark-elf with his frame." Phantom finished quietly.

"Alright...so that's what happened." Zero gritted. "And Ellipse got crazy because of Weil's...thing...but why did X try to seal her? Why not just do something to lift her curse or...mercy-kill her?"

Harpuia sneered. "Unlike you, maverick, we do not kill innocent."

"Well, if blowing up Reploids is what you call innocent, then of course you would consider innocent Reploids to be the worst than Sigma." Zero dryly replied.

"We only followed our Master's holy edict." Harpuia declared as he puffed his chest.

Ever since he had been put in service, he had Considered each and every utterance of The First to be his life and soul.

Zero raised a brow. "Holy edict? What a pile of steaming garbage." She spat, her eyes flashing dangerously. "If you had even a bit of intelligence, you would've realized that Xiu... That X's mental health was failing. But no, you didn't." She hissed the last part, bearing her fangs. "You just used this as an opportunity to indulge in your battle lust, Pride, Anger and laziness." she sneered.

Harpuia was about to protest when Phantom glanced at him.

[Harpuia, she isn't wrong.] The shadow operative radioed.

[I would never-] The sky general growled.

[how about the hostage you were supposed to maintain? Or the resistance members we were about to question?] Phantom drilled his co-model. [And the reploid re-purposing centre? Was X aware of what was happening inside? Did he tell you to torture and kill those obsolete reploid?]

[They were meant to be scrapped anyway!] Harpuia defended himself. Physically hunching over.

[Humanly scrapped, put in shutdown, in standby, then efficiently shorted. And how many of those were not on the list? Can you answer me 'sage' Harpuia?]

Harpuia remained silent and turned his sight away from Phantom; he could see that the two other Co-units were also duly chastised.

[For how long did you hold your dirty tongue, Phantom?] Harpuia asked, trying to hide the shame he felt.

...far too long.

Zero inclined her head. " X is now my hostage...as you and Neo-arcadia are." the red legend informed the four guardians as she moved her tainted grip to master X's neck, clasping it between her claws. "My demands are simple, and if ignored-"

Dread replaced their coolant, and righteous anger lit their core.

Fefnir was about to pounce on the outrageous bitch, and Harpuia was not far behind him, assured that he could snap Master X away from her accursed grasp before she could snap his head off...or worst.

And then, without any rhyme or reason, Master X, his very life, reopened his connection with all of his guardians. Flooding them all with...whit…

Hopelessness, crushing defeat...pain...darkness...apathy...no more will to live…

A desire to...to…

Stop...

for good…

Harpuia fell to his knee, his body felt numb, his mind...his mind filled with a dark cloud…

No...not a dark cloud...his mind was a dark cage...in front of him was a mirror...and what he saw was the worst of failure, the lowest of sinner...a monster to be killed...

He wanted to die...everything was his fault...everything was a failure…

Better he died now.

And yet, he could not help but feel relief; at least they knew X was alive...just exhausted with everything.

[Harpuia! Fefnir! Leviathan!] Phantom barked over their shared connection. Seemingly unbothered by this...this...despair. [Don't let Master X's desperation affect you. Those are not yours to feel...fight it!] the assassin barked.

Harpuia raised his head with difficulty, the weight of his sins crushing him to the floor. He turned his head to his co-units. Phantom stood still, forming the sign for peace and tranquillity as he meditated on those two virtues. Leviathan was on the floor, her eyes were opened and yet unseeing, And Fefnir…

The sky General froze...the leader of the scorched earth unit had his gun to his head, his eyes dull…

He would get out of this pain quickly…

Suddenly, a circular shield struck Gomorrah before it could rain its mercy upon Fefnir. Harpuia turned his head to Zero. The maverick looked...bewildered.

"Xiu...Xiu, I know that's you." She spoke to X in an urgent tone. "I have no idea what you're doing right now, but you need to stop." No answer.

And then...the dark cloud lifted over the guardians. But none wanted to move.

[Phantom...] Harpuia began, still kneeling on the floor. [What...]

[Master X reopened his connection with us...what you felt...has been plaguing him for more than a century.] Phantom let the end of his phrase hang like a noose.

[scrap me pink... Master X...How is he still _alive?]_ Fefnir asked as he shakily managed to get to his feet, still shaken by what he had been about to do.[ Oh, rust this...Zero...saved me.]

Speaking of the maverick, she was holding on to X a bit tighter, whispering something to his heart in a hertz that were too low for the guardians to hear. Noticing that all eyes were on here, she turned her attention back on the four copies of master X.

"Alright...that was not part of the plan but-"

"Not part of the plan?" Harpuia parroted.

"No, It's not like I can't -get rid of you witho-out any help...but X was a bit quicker than me on that one." She informed Harpuia with a sheepish grin. "So...hostage situation, X is mine, and if you dare Kill me, then - the virus will spread all over Neo-arcadia. And this time- n-othing will be able to stop it. Oh, and I'm taking X with me...he'll get what he desired a-ll along."

Harpuia cursed under his breath...there really was nothing he could do.

"What are your demands," Phantom asked as if he hadn't been flooded with the despair that afflicted master X.

"I need a computer you can find with the best external drive you can provide, the freedom to be with my husband to care for him while he recovers. Bathing facilities and a ten-year Sabbatical for X..." she enumerated, still holding her…

Harpuia could not even think of master X and Zero being an item...the copy was playing with his heart; he just knew it.

"Is that all? Nothing about the resistance base?" Phantom asked.

Zero turned her gaze to Leviathan; the ice guardian was now just starting to recover from the despair. "Make-make sure Leviathan's stable..." She shifted a bit, making a face. "as for the resistance...well, I'm still in contact with some friends o-over there. And from what I've heard...most of the resistance now want my head on a platter...and those may turn maverick." She sighed. "It seems my secret connection with X is not that secret anymore."

"which is why you didn't escape with our master." Phantom concluded.

"it would've been better for him; Neo-arcadia's terrible...and he's been 'ruling' long enough." Zero openly grumble as if she cared about Master X. "No one is meant to be in politic forever...or to fight for so long. X...was never meant for that. Especially to serve as a puppet leader."

"How dare you...Master X lead-" Harpuia began only to be interrupted by Zero.

"Had lead Neo-arcadia for less than two decades before 'humans' began to manipulate his decisions...slowly pushing him as a symbol, just another tool instead of a leader...a person with feelings..." Zero's face darkened.

"You...should have never left him." Leviathan managed to say, being helped to her feet by Fefnir.

"I can't change the past, but what happened was necessary," Zero spoke with a shrugged. "For the greater good, we sometimes have to leave our dear one behind... What I did...was ultimately for the greater good. And I'm not talking about Ellipse."

"What are you talking about then?" Phantom asked wearily. It was a sentiment shared by all the guardians.

Zero beamed...and began to recite. "Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare."

Shockingly enough, Harpuia could pick up master X repeating after the witch.

' _That's it...next chance I get, she's dead, and all of her sordid secrets will be share knowledge.'_ Harpuia gritted his teeth. She was dead...so dead...not even a chip of paint would be left after he was through with the filthy hacker.

For her part, Zero was staring at X with no small part of the wonder. As if she was not aware of the control she had over the master of Neo-arcadia. A fond smile drew itself on her face, and tears dare to flow from her glowing eyes. "You still want more?" she addressed the half-conscious X.

"Now," Draupadi sighed. "Leviathan. You know you told me I could have some Energene?" Zero addressed the blue guardian. Who wearily nodded. "I would love to have it right now...X...when was the last time he refuelled in the past fourth-eight hour?"

To be quite honest, none of the guardians knew of the reclusive master of Neo-arcadia's fuel consumption, only that he was the origin of all reploid and thus could recharge in the sunlight...like most reploid before the cataclysm. And themselves, by extension.

They used Hybrid fuel...that's how they survived.

Zero was definitely not pleased by what she had (not) heard. It was clear she was less than satisfied with the quality of the service rendered by the guardians of Neo-arcadia. And it showed.

"Just give me two Energene cans and leave. I'll _properly_ take care of him." She hissed as the virus reacted to its source's anger. "Leviathan can stay."

Harpuia was about to deny this request when he got the order to stand down from phantom. "Understood...any other request?" The traitorous Shinobi asked, clearly taking the side of the hacker.

"Yes, chant and be happy."

Phantom inclined his head, Leviathan went and grabbed the requested Item, and the last three guardians reluctantly left. Followed by yet another traitor.

* * *

Now alone with the source of the dreaded virus, Leviathan really began second-guessing her deal with Draupadi.

On the one hand, they were now in real danger of a secondary pandemic… and Master X... No, the entirety of Neo-Arcadia was under her virulent grip.

But one-second hand… ' _No...there's no second hand...Liby, this was a bad deal and you know it.''_ And yet, the way Draupadi had ripped them to shred with words and yet had saved them all from the worst case of desperation in history…

Would she had so liked, The (second) oldest reploid in the room could have easily killed them all...but instead, she had saved Fefnir from suiciding.

Leviathan gazed at the beautifully frightening reploid, now that three out of four guardians were gone, Draupadi-Zero all but slumped over X, the Virus having receded in her body. "Aaah..." she groaned as she held X closer.

"Miss...Err...Draupadi-Zero?" She tried. "Is... Is everything fine?" One part of her hoped not; it would make fixing her mistake that much easier.

If it really was a mistake, that is.

"I... I'm not completely fixed yet." Draupadi admitted, and up close, without the purple tendril painting everything the same hue, it was cleat the first Maverick looked awful. "I guess...I'm..forty percent not good enough to move, uh?" She numbly asked Leviathan with a very wobbly smile.

Leviathan gaped. "F-F-Forty! Why the hell did you-! Why are you out of the capsule!" She yelped, realizing that Zero... Draupadi had managed to wrestle Neo-arcadia's control from the guardian...and well, as X while in a suboptimal situation. _'The legends were true! She really will go out to war half-scrapped if it means X will be safe.'_

"L-Levia..." Zero.. Draupadi rasped. "That...those E-tank?"

"On it!" Leviathan jogged to the very secured cabinet, took two cans of medial grade fuel, and rushed back to the Legendary couple. "Here, two E-tank! Just as promised!"

Draupadi wearily took one...and with eyes closed, lift it above her head, with the same type of devotion a priest would show as he prayed to the Lord.

' _Wow...that was not what the legend said, but... Ok, Zero worship someone then.'_ Hare-Krishna perhaps?

After about thirty-second, Draupadi-Zero cracked open the can of Energene and began refuelling her unconscious husband, keeping Master X's mouth open by applying a gentle pressure on his chin with her right hand.

After a few seconds, Master's X blearily opened his eyes, gingerly drinking from the metallic vessel. He would look at his returned lover wife with eyes soft and filled with wonder. Draupadi gently hummed the peace formula under her breath, Her purple gaze never leaving the Vermilion lenses of the master of Neo-arcadia. She was clearly exhausted and in need of a few days to let her auto-repair fix whatever was broken, and yet, Draupadi's smile and the love that poured from her frame vindicated Leviathan's decision.

It was clear they both loved one another on a level unknown to most.

' _Yeah... I don't have a chance, do I.'_ the ice guardian thought with great dismay.

[Phantom. Update on Master X. He seems to be fine, Zero's taking Care of him.] She sent phantom, along with a snapshot of the wholesome scene. [See? We don't have to worry about him.]

[Don't celebrate too soon Youshou, women tend to kill discreetly.] The assassin warned.

[I never kill my prey discreetly.]

[You are not exactly a woman, you know.]

[Neither is Zero.] Leviathan playfully shot back.

Gender for reploids meant nothing more than cosmetic changes...and a different attitude. But in essence, they could be whatever they desired. With the right amount of Zenny, of course.

[Leviathan, for the Love of Master X, _please_ don't pursue her, we still don't know if this is a ruse or not.]

Leviathan rolled her eyes as she settled on the floor, not liking the feeling of looming over her master and his lovely wife. At this less severe angle, The ice guardian could now really appreciate how...exhausted Draupadi looked.

Her whole frame was shaking, trying to move despite the lack of power coursing through it, even her neck joint was struggling to keep her head up. Her service light were flashing...and yet Zero was stubbornly fighting the emergency power-down prompt in favour of feeding X.

' _It would be so easy to kill her._ ' Leviathan realized.

She scooted closer...and crawled behind Draupadi-zero.

"!?" The first maverick made a sound. Clearly, she didn't appreciate having someone at her back.

"L-Levi…?" Master X rasped as he moved the half-empty fuel can away from his lips; he looked worried...and...in pain?

Then it was gone…

Some dread began to nibble at Leviathan's heart; she hopped nothing horribly wrong would happen.

"It's alright, Master X; Draupadi-Zero's just about to crash." she spoke with a smirk as she wrapped an arm around the wrecked blonde torso and gently pulled her back so that the legendary red legend could rest on her. "Don't want your wifey to collapse too soon now, don't we?"

At this, Master X gave a tired grunt, his eyes half-lidded. And Draupadi resumed to refuel him... Still humming the Hare-Krishna Mantra in a low-powered tone.

In the privacy of her mind, Leviathan noted with pleasure at how nice Draupadi-Zero felt; she was expertly built as the most perfect of war machines...and yet…

There was something beyond it, something that made her robotic body fragrant and pleasant to hold...something beyond mere lust.

' _Master X is a Lucky, Lucky man.'_ The ice general knew she had no chance at all, not with X around.

Suddenly, just as the fey reploid rebuked herself for having thought like that, a look of sheer pain twisted X's feature as his body arched in agony, The Energene he had consumed pouring out of his mouth as he tried to scream.

"L... Leviathan. Get me a chip k-kit," Draupadi chocked out as she held Master X in her arms as his body violently convulsed. His gasp of pain shattering the quiet and holy atmosphere that had once ruled the medical room...breaking Leviathan out of her frozen state. And the blue guardian was off, locating the chip-kit with ease and running back to Draupadi, her agonizing master.

"Here!" When she returned, Draupadi had removed Master X's armoured vest. She opened his X's Synth skin, her movement too fluid for one about to crash.

"Wh-What the hell's going-" The ice general managed to ask as a shiver went up her nanite tube.

"Get on my back, grab his arms." She ordered. And leviathan had no choice but to comply…

At this moment, the ice guardian realized that she might be helping the viral queen decommission her husband. And yet, she could not move...

Draupadi wordlessly pulled opened Master X's RF shield, gaining access to his numerous motherboards as Master X body kept convulsing. The only thing preventing him from violently trashing and breaking his limbs on the ground were Leviathan's powerful arms holding his more or less still.

She immediately sent out an urgent Ping to Phantom. The shinobi did not make the helpless ice guardian wait and promptly teleported in. his shuriken at the ready, having been forewarned of what was happening in the medical area.

Zero raised her head. ". Please hold his legs and hi-ip down, " She addressed phantom without a trace of fear or worried...and as if she wasn't holding on to one of Master X, ancient, irreplaceable and inestimable motherboards in her grip as he trashed about.

As if hypnotized, Phantom did as he was requested. Helplessly looking Leviathan, anger and confusion warring with each other.

[Youshou! What in the name of-]

[I...I don't know! Everything went well; Zero was lovingly feeding X an E-tank.] Leviathan began to explain as she shared the same bewilderment as he Co-Unit. I have a vid; I have never seen something so sickly sweet in my life. Suddenly, our Master's start having a seizure, -by the way, call the environmental cleanup crew, we have an Energene spill- and now she's aiming for his chips... ] very nervous smile drew itself on her lips.

Meanwhile, Draupadi-Zero removed a specific motherboard. "Gauranga, Gauranga, Gauranga." She muttered as she reached inside the chip-mod kit and pulled out a pair of specialized pliers only used to remove illegal or already damaged chips.

The ones that were not meant to be used on good chips…

The maverick queen reached for her braid… pulling on it for some obscure reason. _'She didn't have it when she came in.'_ came the dim thought in, it was then that Leviathan realized she was sitting on it.

Oops.

"He Bhagavan..."The...let's call her a saintly maverick sighed as she stuffed her left thumb in Master X's mouth.

' _What the...she's not...what's going on? '_ She glanced at the phantom, the assassin had eyes the size of hug caps, and his jaw was clenched as if he was in pain.

It was _also_ at this moment that Leviathan realized...again, that she too was feeling pain or, more like the suggestion of being dipped in industrial grad, scalding acid. And while it was nowhere as intense, it was the same as when her master had reopened his connection.

The desire to just stop functioning had been too seductive for her own taste. And the pain…

For Leviathan, Pain meant pleasure...but this pain…

It was pure torture and not the kinky type either.

Her thought was interrupted by a sickening Crunch and Master X's body giving a violent jolt. The tricentennial Chip of priceless historical value -The one that had remained in the Master of Neo-Arcadia's repertoire for well over three centuries, an original Light Chip, something that had never been studied before because technology never seemed to catch up with it, something so advance it was practically a work of art.

It was now shattered...

The maverick, her destructive task done, slumped in Leviathan's grip. Her whole body hotter than what should be optimal...and her braid was burning Leviathan's...hiney and legs.

Sure, Leviathan could easily freeze water. But this was a bit too much for her to handle on land.

The whole room became deathly silent, only the power coursing through the wall and the light made the background voice resound...and the four systems in the room complemented it as a sweet melody.

Just like Master X, Hidden Phantom had collapsed, and Leviathan could not remember if she heard him scream...maybe she did. Half of his body was on the blue angel's legs; the other half was on Draupadi-Zero's lower limbs.

Leviathan discreetly lifted herself off the ground to dislodge the golden braid, keeping the silky golden rope in her hand as she held the limp body of Draupadi (and by extension master X) to her heaving chest.

Such beautiful hair... Like spun gold...who would pass upholding such a beautiful work of art as Zero?

It would be something nice to remember as Leviathan got decommission over high treason.

A minute passed, then two and finally ten. Leviathan could not move, paralyzed by what the faith of Neo-Arcadia would be after the death of three of its pillars.

She heard the almost silent sound of Phantom booting up again; the assassin moaned gently and then gingerly lifted himself from the lower body of his Master and his murderer, relief clear on his face.

[Phantom...how does Master X look like on your end?] Leviathan wearily asked the assassin, already mentally prepared for the worst.

[...no more pain...] He practically sighed…removing his helmet as he rubbed his short brown hair and eyes. [It's gone...]

[What do you mean?] _'What the hell is happening here?'_

 _[the pain... Master's pain...it's finally gone...]_ Phantom conveyed with his seldom-seen goofy grin. Looking all the more like his master.

Then...X booted, he took a deep vent...and another, and another...he began to breathe as a human would.

Something only ancient text and videos would sometimes show.

"M...Master X?" Leviathan ventured, now feeling the coolant and oil running under his skin.

She could have started sobbing; X was alive.

He remained unmoving...simply venting in and out. Afraid that the master of Neo-arcadia would fall off from his extremely dedicated wife, Leviathan wrapped an arm around his thin waist. _'He's also a bit too hot...'_ She lowered the temperature of her whole body, making sure the worlds' most complicated couple would not spontaneously combust.

"L... Leviathan?" Master X asked after a few minutes of silence. He tried to turn his head toward his closets copy appearance wise… but since she was behind The off-lined Draupadi-Zero, he could not see her. Thus, he turned his attention to phantom. "Oh hey, phantom…" He rasped… "Hmm." He reached for his mouth... whipping off the coolant and oil from Draupadi's sacrificed thumb. Absentmindedly holding her hand.

Would she not have done it... Leviathan didn't dare think what would've happened to X's delicate tongue.

' _Alright...now that's dedication for master X.'_ Came Leviathan's appreciative thought. She could totally share his feelings...as long as the chip Draupadi removed was not something vital.

Still...ouch.

"Who...where's Zero?" He asked...he sounded both relaxed and out of it, his inflection more human-like while his overtaxed voice chip rendered his tone more robotic than ever. He sounded like he was dying, and yet Leviathan could feel that no...everything was fine, he felt fine...better than ever really.

"Master...you're using her as a pillow," Phantom spoke as he eyed Draupadi's left foot, While his hands were firmly kept on his laps.

' _Foot-freak.'_

The azure legend grunted as he inspected his displaced motherboard, gently touching the part were Draupadi Zero broke the unknown chip. And then he put the piece of ancient technology back in its rightful place and closed the RF shield and his Synt-skin. His movement is languid and relaxed.

"Phantom..." He addressed his Assassin. "...what is...D... Zero's Status?"

Phantom took a look at master X, then back at Draupadi-Zero, then back at X. "Off-lined, Taicho."

Master X Grunted something along the lines of 'Not good...' as he rolled off from Draupadi's lap and to a kneeling position.

Leviathan stared...he had green eyes...beautiful green eyes. His features were tired and relaxed, and he ...he didn't look like a doll anymore. He looked alive...absolutely exhausted and oily...but alive nonetheless.

X gazed at Draupadi-Zero, some tears flowing from his clear eyes...then scooped her up from leviathan's lap and got to his feet, somewhat struggling on the way up.

The ice guardian and the Assassin went to their Master's side, knowing what he desired, and helped him to the medical pod. There, he once again deposited Draupadi in...and then entered himself. Slotting himself beside his wife, curling around her as if he feared she would be gone the next moment.

Then he began to power down… but paused the process and turned to Leviathan.

"Oh...Levi...can I...Can I have the second E-tank you were holding?" X asks, already half-asleep. The events of the last few days catching up to him.

"Yes Master." the water-based guardian quickly went to the almost forgotten container of fuel, and noticed that the cleaner bot had already cleaned the spilled Energen. She also noticed that the second can had gained this...purple tint.

No, it was definitely not from the virus...and it was...it felt extremely benevolent for some reason.

Then the Aura disappeared. And for some reason, Leviathan still picked the can up to give it to her master.

Master X gratefully took the proffered container, Gave half to his dear wife and took the rest before finally laying down beside his Draupadi, but not before taking a good, long look at her, as goofy ever so grateful smile painting his lips.

His system went into sleep mode...and, after making _he was alive and not about to go in another fit like last time_. Leviathan and Phantom collapsed on each side of the Pod... The day's event finally catching up with them.

Much had to be talked about after this particular chain of events. And now seemed to be a good time.

* * *

Sometime later, Draupadi's system rebooted without a hitch, the berserker program being circumvented as she usually did. She was back in the medical Pod, but this time, she was not alone…

X... Her Echo was with her...he was alive, his over-sensitive and glitch-prone pain chip was gone, turned into dust. And his mind...was better, but she knew grieving and emotional trauma would take time to heal. _'But he's on the right track...and Krishna willing, I'll be able to stay with him...until it's time to go again.'_ But right now, she was back in his arms, his head a bit above her own.

She looked at him; his eyes were closed, his lips slightly parted, and he was 'breathing' slowly.

' _He looks so serene...and he's sleeping soundly.'_ She was not the only one suffering from terrible nightmares...she could deal with them easier, But X had this Godforsaken Pain chip adding to his misery.

' _Good, this that was gone... Thank you, Krishna, that it was not linked to anything major._ ' She had acted completely under the divine influence of the most merciful Gauranga, not even aware of her environment after the last stunt she pulled.

She had never used the virus so expansively...and she still felt terribly sore.

This gave her yet another layer of nostalgia, another sign that thing would return to normal...or as normal as it would get after a hundred years apart. Still, to be tightly squeezed in a pod, their system recharging as they slept in one another's arms after one hell of a day...alive, and more or less whole.

This was X and Zero's normal.

X eye's fluttered open, his jade-green glance finding Draupadi's Amethyst.

His breathing hitched, a look of wonder lit his face...he bit his lowered lips as tears began to fall from his eyes.

"Good... Morning I guess." Draupadi greeted as she placed a kiss on X's nose. "Did you sleep well?"

X did not awns er, could not anwnser… his tears flowed from his eyes as he gazed at his only friend, his confidant, his teacher, his lover...the most important person in his life.

he didn't need to speak...and neither was she…

They touch gem...and their raw feeling flowed.

_I miss you...I love you...why were you gone...you came back...please don't leave me._

_I missed you too...I love you too...I'm sorry I left...I should have contacted you...not until the Lord tells me personally._

Draupadi felt X nudging her to have access to her memory file...and she let him. Five minutes later, more feeling flowed.

_A hundred years gone…you truly were dead..._

_I remember most of the past…I'm the soul, I can never truly die...I will tell you, be patient._

The rest of the wireless communication happened in the heart's language, an outpouring of feelings, assurance, and promises all fuelled by a love only a pair of survivors could feel for one another.

The couple reopened their eyes.

"You...you changed." X managed, brushing the pad of his thumb on Draupadi's dry cheek, reminding her that she had to turn her tear duct on. "What happened to you?" X cautiously asks, inspecting her face under all angles.

Draupadi stilled his hands. "Krishna Happened...God Happen, your pick." She shrugged. "I spent fifty years in the bowels on cyber-space after...you know..." She trailed off, those were just the last fifty years she could remember, the first part was corrupted worst then the viral ocean.

"Zero... Draupadi." X corrected himself. "What happened to you after...after you died." He asked; in his eyes, some sorrows returned.

"I didn't die, I just got pulled out of my frame." she corrected. " it's the same as falling asleep." No way she was going to reveal that it had been the most agonizing pain she had felt in her very long life.

X held her closer. "You were dead. Your frame...nothing was working." He shuddered, and the mechanical Vaishnavi felt some wetness on the top of her head.

She sighed as she clutches X closer. I told you...I didn't die. I was just...out."

Master X's bright-green eyes grew wider. "You...you had an out-of-body experience," he whispered with awe. "I tought Only Humand could have that."

"Yeah...let's call it that." she conceded. Then she closed her eyes. "O.O.B's not the humans right. every soul can and will go through this at least once per lifetime," she explained, with a shruge. " I...I can remember most of my past, the eight wars, my sealing...but my drive got corrupted, so I only remember waking in the sea of Corruption in the Uranet."

"fifty years," X repeated with wonder. "That's about the same time I..."

"You tried to suicide using my crazy daughter..." Draupadi narrowed her eyes. "What happened to her anyway?"

Draupadi could feel her husband's shame. "She...broke free. The dark elf...your...your only scion is somewhere in either Neo-Arcadia or Cyber-space." X held her closer and almost painfully tighter. "I...I didn't have the strength to...to do the needful" he sighed as he radiated shame. "And now...the most dangerous Cyber-elf in existence is roaming God knows were, waiting to spread her curses."

"Well, I will tell you. I didn't see her in the current..." Draupadi stirred the conversation away for this painful topic. "But I did find God, and the last of God's dearest servant."

X looked down to his dearest Zero. "You...how did you manage to find that in the there? Isn't everything down here a mountain of corrupted data, viruses and malware?" The Azure Angel spoke with concern. "Legend says this is were the old World Wide Web sunk after the third war."

Draupadi scoff." Echo, It's actualy worst than that, and yet, this is were I found my Spiritual Master and her equally saintly Husband. ." Draupadi clung to her husband, her eyes welling with tears. "They...they shelter me and...and a family. A divine family made of differetn souls...I...I even found-" She stopped herself from going further. The pain of separation robbing her of this particular ability.

"Z...Zaki...your crying!" X exclaimed.

"How can I not...they saved you." Once again, her unlimited debt to her Guru's kept growing. "Echo...If...If If I would've...they told me...they told me not to kill you...to save you..." She let out a fusion between a sob and laughter. After some time she managed to regain control of her extasis.

"I...we own them Everything Echo... "

X never let his gaze stray off from his beloved; his face was unreadalbe...aven for Zero.

Probably a trick he learned in his stint as a politicien.

"Zaki...Can you...can you tell me what hapened? the fifty years you remember?"

Draupadi raised her head, and met his green eyes again. "Yes...We don't have anything better to do anyway."

In her mind, a verse from the Bhagavad-Gita echoed.

' _To my surrendered devotees who are serving me with everything they have, I preserve what they have and give what they lack.'_

Yes...The lord had preserved her dear Echo, not that He had to. And now, with the support she had once lacked, Draupadi finally felt complete again.

_'Thank you Krishna.'_


	9. A cooling respite after the fire.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some truth revealed, a lost soul returned. The servant of God can now start to heal the centennial wounds.

* * *

Zero groaned as he got off the ground. His whole body felt...weird, Yet oddly familiar...and painful.

As in, 'just blew myself up sort of painful.

' _Pain, pain, pain... And I thought Xiu Ying was the one with the pain chip."_ He grumbled internally, looking around to try to figure out where the hell he was this time. And for whatever life was left of him, the war build once again wondered w _hy_ his creator programmed pain in his frame. Wasn't he supposed to conquer the earth and destroy X and whatever the last of Light's creation held dear? In that case, _why could he be stunned by mere stings and hits?_

But from what he remembered, Wily was not what one would call sane by any stretch of the words.

Nevertheless, Zero was not in his frame anymore, as per the absolute mess of an environment that surrounded him.

The place he was in was...there were no words to describe it short of a sea of old, corrupted Data. He could perceive memes, banking reports, old audio files...broken picture commingling with other to make an ever-changing mosaic of audio-visual glitches covered with this weird data-veil.

Zero squeezed his eyes shut, trying to reset away from the illusion. _'What the hell is this...is this a dream? Did I die?'_ This was the most likely result of surrendering to sci-lab. _'I don't feel dead...where the hell...is this what a reploid storage_ _look like? Or is it for just for me_ _...h_ _e_ _y wait, what's this in front..."_ He grabbed something that felt like fabric and pulled it off his face… and body.

It was...sticky, to say the least. And removing it felt like ripping away a second, mud-encrusted skin.

Once that was done, Zero was left with something that was definitely...not original of him.

It was...some type of deep black 'fabric' decorated with red eye-like patterns and red borders. It looked evil, like..., not Sigma evil but its own, special brand...and it seemed to be dead for some reason.

' _Huh, I guess I killed it. Well...this doesn't really give me any clues...hey, wait a minute, what's wrong with my hands?'_ Zero noticed.

They were... human-like in proportion and oddly delicate.

Zero put the dead...thing down and began to inspect his appendages...they were long, delicate and...covered in a white glove...or, it felt like a glove. He could also feel something that felt like human nails in his fingers.

Reploids would rarely have such decorations, and if they did, it would be for mechanical. And Zero knew he had none...or he could but...the last thing he wanted was to accidentally harm his dear Echo.

' _Echo...'_ He clutched his heart. _'What are you doing right now? Did you finally get the peace you so desired? Did you move on? Did you ark project work?'_ Zero hope so, he had gambled his life for his lover's happiness… and he could only hope that it had been fruitful.

X deserved to be happy and at peace. It was what his father had wanted, and it was for what he had been designed for, not an eternal war against an enemy that could not be killed.

Truly, for Zero to be stuck in this hell was all that the walking apocalypse deserved.

' _Hey...wait a minute...what's up with my...'_ The robotic martyr looked down to his oddly soft chest...and met with a pair of breasts.

Firm, perky, not ridiculously big but not flat either...and they were covered in flowing white dress.

"What the-ah!" He grabbed his throat...this was not...this was not his usual tenor it was…it was…

The voice of a young woman! Still tenor but...not masculine at all.

He...Got up from the intact piece of ground and took a good look at himself. It was not just the afford-mentioned breast but the thin waist, the broad hips and the voice.

And the flowing white dress and veil made of codes.

"I'm a girl?" Zero whispered… "Ah... No...but I thought? I'm not..." He was not a cute woman! he was a reploid; he was neutral...

Right?

Suddenly, tentacles emerged, and the now clearly gendered reploid only had enough time to turn around and stare at the monstrosity in horror before the thing tried to grab him...her…

It?

The legendary reploid jumped sideways, reaching for his saber...but, as with the change of frame, there was a glitch in this system too.

The Z-saber was nowhere on his person, and, of course, he was also buster-less.

"Aw crud." He murmured as he dodged the sweeping mass of virulent Data, the solid platform...an old Linux kernel piece, breaking apart under the assault.

Jumping further then he thought he could, Zero managed to land on one of the bigger pieces...and right in the mass of virus trap.

One tentacle sprung up from under the Red Ripper in white...and dragged him down in the dept of the massive corrupted Data-abyss.

An explosion of sensory data overwhelmed Zero as they sank. His tactile sensor burned, froze, tickle, cut, crushed and twisted in a sort of pain that went beyond anything he's experienced before. Millions-no- trillions of images, lights and shapes flooded his eyes, burning in them horrors and nonsense that numbed his mind in sheer mental agony.

The corrupted sea flooded his audio until all he could hear were the screeched of dead radios, broken pod-cast and what used to be music...he wanted to rip it out...it was beyond deafening.

And then came the taste Zero had no idea he could...but what it was made him sick...but he had nothing to purge.

His nose burned...so many smells...were they good? Were they bad?

Under the sensory assault, Zero's mind looked for an escape that didn't exist, a calm that was but an illusion in a desert. He wanted to disappear; they wanted to be gone...he wanted void...termination, oblivion…

was it real?

Was it a dream?

Were was X?

Was X real? What was real? Was pain the only answer? Who was he? Why was he? Why fighting? Why running? Why exits-tins? W00 was he think1nking for his c1d0s we00000aki0g1an001nr0v10i10 u1d1r0t0e10nt1n01100ar010f0th0 b10000g10ark 1l01e0 o01th0 01n0o0y010per0m0…0

01101001010101010010100101001010010100101001010010100101001010010100101010101010100100100010100100100101000101001000000000100100001000010001001011011001101010111011101000110010101010001001010100101100101001001001001010100100100100101010100101000110010100100100100110101010010110101010101010101010101010010011010100010011001100101000

And then...he heard it...a lifesaver…a sound...divine in nature.

_Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare_

_Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare…_

_Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare_

_Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare_

_Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare_

_Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare_

through the ocean of virtual-chaos, a soul swam through the mire of cyber-trash. Fighting, fragmenting from the clump of virus...toward the sound...toward the song...toward the loving embrace...oh...oh...

"H...Har...Hare..." He tried...he fought… _'must find...source….must...find...voice...shelter...safety...'_ _they struggled...whit what? What body? Who...time?_

_The mantra called, His flute song unlimited sweet and eternally calling for those souls lost in the ocean of nescience. Hare Krishna...Hare Krishna…_

They followed, their ears having found a safe haven from the sensory overload...Krishna Krishna Hare Hare…

' _Hare Krishna...Hare Krishna...Krishna Krishna Hare Hare….Hare Rama...Hare Rama...Rama Rama Hare Hare..."_ They recited...He recited...she recited...the familiar words dancing on their lips like a companion older than time. A friend she had forgotten, but who never forgot him...

He had been here when she was in pain...this friend that came in sound…

And thus...He followed...the sound leading him out of the chaotic cyber-maze filled with virulent minotaurs…

and then...attracted to the sound like a moth to the light, he plunged in the source, a bubble of peace, and the island of blissful serenity, divine in nature.

He tried breaking through its surface, but the firewalls were too thick…

_Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare_

_Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare_

But the sound..the sound…

_Oh, amazing grace...how sweet **the sound…**_

_that saved...a wretch like me..._

" _Oh, Lordy! Prabhu! Prabhu, the virus's trying to take down the firewall again! Hare Krishna! Ugram Viram Maha Vishnu…! Oh, Sweet baby Krishna! Vasu, there a girl stuck in there!"_

" _By Gauranga's sweet grace yer right! Hurry! let's grab the poor thing out o' that nightmare!"_

Hands...Grabbing...Holding...pain? Pleasure? Grabbing what? What was hand...were was the sound? The sweet sweet sound…

A pull...but the beast did not let him go...they pulled harder, chanting ancient hymns and prayers to the sound...to the divine sound...to Krishna...Gauranga…Narashima…

something...ripping...legs...separating?

The virus shudder, the ocean parted...and he burst through the firewall and onto a grassy field… tendrils of corrupted data still clinging to his...hands still dragging him back...Sigma, Vile...Iris...Colonel…Axl…

And X...

The sweet chanting kept resounding in his audio as he heard more entity crowding around him...he felt...water being sprayed on him, he could hear drums and hand cymbals...more prayers in tongue were recited…

They stayed on the soft grass, Unmoving, listening, recovering…

He was Zero? Robot? Reploid?... No...he was...she was someone else…

Human? Girl...blond?

She was blond...always had been.

Lorollei?

Loreley?

Wily?

Rolly?

Rollikin?

Memories...came back...defragmented, full…Painful.

_She had lost so much...the war had robbed her of everything._

Zero reopened his eyes; surrounding him were numerous cyber-elve and Navi of different sizes, shapes and power...one even looked like an old model with a finned helmet. He was mostly black, gold and with a purple chest gem and his face with violet marking under his eyes. But what really caught the legend in white was the two Cyber-being of human origin.

It reminded him of Doctor light...when seen from the cyber-world.

They were...the colour of fertile earth, their eyes deep brown and...they were dressed like an Indian couple, with some...familiar marks on their dark forehead.

Ṷ...

He stared...trying to remember when was the last time he'd seen them. He felt as if he knew them... _'Memories...still corrupted...'_

He sat up, helped by a few other elves and navies. "W...were am I? What Happened? Where's X?" He asked, still trying to wrap his head around the fact that his voice was now high pitch a sweet. "Why am I a woman?"

They all looked at one another…

"Well...it seems the asura really messed up her mind." One spoke.

"Poor dear...fortunate you are to still have a complete subtle body." spoke another person, this one in a dress.

"Yo, It ain't like sister here's whole, you know, Can't see her feet." Spoke the black and purple Navi...his designation SWN-001...as seen in his gem.

"Can you please stop speaking as if I was a mindless drone?" Zero protested as he sat up..."And my feet are still attached to my shanks." He pulled the very long dress off of his feet and stared…

they were gone; he didn't even have _legs_...

"Wh...what's going on!" Panic crept in his systems...this was wrong...it was all wrong…

This should not be happening; he should be sleeping in the Navi storage disk! Not...not..."

He felt a pair f steady hands on his shoulders. "It's alright, sweetheart." The black-skinned digitized human spoke with a caring voice. "I know the situation's alarming. But you in good hands...the Sweet Lord brought you to us."

Zero stared into the black woman's equally black and caring eyes. Those eyes were imperfect...with tiny red veins, her skin was not as smooth as a reploid, decorated with creases and ripples…

"My name is Sri-isopanisad Devi Dasi, and this man here is mah husband." she gestured to the bald man, clapping his shoulder with the same type of affection zero would X.

At these words, the portly man crouched beside his wife. "Hare Krishna missy, Name's Vasudeva-data Das...but jus' Vasudeva will suffice." he greeted, exuding a fatherly presence. "Ah, never expected to be able to pull another Cyber-elf out of the web any taime soon...What's yer good name?"

Zero blinked… "I'm...My designation is Maverick hunter DWN-Infinity-Zero Zero Zero Zero….where am I?" He asked as the finned helmeted Navi's eyes bloomed wide.

Sir-Isopanisada Devi Dasi helped her...Him to his nonexistent feet. He could still...float for some reason. _'I'm an elf now...a Cyber elf...'_ He realized. _'Is this what happened when a reploid dies?'_

Oh...he... was so confused...

" Hun...This is our virtual ashram, a spiritual shelter were we practice Bhakti-Yoga." Sir-Isopanisada told there...the Cyber-elf? Desychronised Navi? as she showed him around. There was green grass as far as the eyes could see, some forested areas were peppered in the distance and a building with a tall spire crowned the area. A decorated outer wall protected the compound; a small roof peaked from its high, vine-covered top. "It ain't much, but it's our home.

Zero peered at the building; he had never seen something so...lacking in the security department. "It's not safe; the virus won't care about this wall." Hell, even he could easily jump it over.

"Not safe!" The black and gold reploid Navi scoffed. "Sister, I can count the amount of time the place got invaded on my left hands."

"Five times is still too much," Zero argues as he tried getting used to moving without feet…

"Three times, and it was over the course of 198 years." Black-fin boasted. "Kalia Never managed to pass by me and Axl."

Zero lost his balance, and the black-elf quickly caught him before he could smack his face on the ground.

The memory of Axl, practically anew build...corrupted by Lumine to the point were he disappeared from the face of the earth, taking with him a group of various reploids.

X...hadn't hesitated… And Zero still remembered how broken his partner had been…

the humans had spoken...Signas had given the order, and X had followed...not even arguing for Axl's case. He had just surrendered to the order, and that was it...

The hardest part had been to relinquish Their brat's broken hull to sci-lab...

It was the time when he had steeled his resolved and given his body up to science...so that his Echo would never have to kill another dear friend...another child.

"Infinity? Infinity?" Sir-Isopanisada held Zero firmly by the shoulder. "Infini-"

"Zero...My name is Zero." He corrected, and he got out of Sri's hands, managing to keep afloat...somehow. "Were is he? Where's Axl!"

A light went on in the eyes of the black-skinned couple. "You know 'im?" Vasudeva asked.

"He's...He's my-" student, underling...annoying brat...comrade in arms...Another friend he had to cry over...another life X had to cry over. Another dear person Zero had lost to the plague he carried… "This...Is this paradise for us? Fr reploids?" His voice was tight, and he felt liquid falling from his eyes and wetting his cheeks. _'_ _Great...Not only are my voice and body F-models, but I'm as emotional as one..."_

He felt Sir-Isopanisada hold her steady as she wavered again. "Who was he to you?" She asked her tone like that of a mother.

"He...He was...Like our brat...a child..." He shamefully hiccup, dearly wishing the ground under him would swallow him up. "He...He d-" He could not continue; the weight of emotions he had ignored now crashed into him like a sledgehammer.

"Barath! Go get Archa!" Vasudeva sneezed. The black and gold Navi dashed to the compound as Zero struggled to regain control of his emotions. The ground was a good and safe place to be at the moment...the grass could drink whatever fluid would leak out of his eyes...

' _It's like this time when...'_ The First time X had entered his system, making himself Zero's administrator and removing the emotional dampener.

' _X...X…'_ It was too much...just too much.

She heard a gasp...and she saw him.

Axl...it… he looked like Axl but…

The lens in his forehead had the Ṷ shaped in it mark now. The same mark adorned his body; He wore cloth that resembled what Vasudeva was wearing, except in a blazing hue of orange-pink. Oh, and his head was shaved… (saved from a patch in the back, and she came to see later.)

Not something he could've done as a reploid, that's for sure.

He stared at Zero with green eyes wide, free from the toxic influence of Lumine. "Holy!...Zero? Is that you? ?" Confirming his Identity as the youngest member of the hunter.

Zero could not withhold his sobs...Axl...There was his Axl...the brat, the one who loved to break to rules, the prankster…

The life in the otherwise ever so grim hunter HQ.

"A...Axl." Zero choked out. "Is...is that you? It's you, isn't it?" Zero hiccuped as the iron grip he had on his emotions slowly but surely eroded. "It...It's me, Zero."

Axl's beautiful eyes grew wide. "Oh, Krishna...He Radhe!...P-Prove it." The young hunter practically begged as he knelled beside Zero

Zero repeated her full designation, then the designation of X and finally Axl's designation as he somehow managed to get his emotions under control...which took more effort than it should.

Axl finally made eye contact with Zero...and shamelessly embraced the now female Navi.

"Oh, Krishna! Oh Krishna! Zero! It's you, Zero!" he sobbed as he held his mentor and best friend for dear life. And then he hastily tried to let go of him, but Zero didn't let his brat escape…

He hadn't seen him for well over 38 years.

Axl hugged her back, his breath...or the analogue for breathing a Navi could have, hitching as he hiccuped.

Eventually, both wanted to have visual confirmation.

"A-Axl..."

"It's alright, Ze. Your safe now." The copy...the ex copy-bot assured his mentor, his grounding hands steadying Zero's uncontrolled emotion.

"What happened? What if this place?" He finally managed to ask.

"This...ah, best way I can explain it would be a Spiritual embassy in the middle of the Viral-ocean." He explained. "The place was made by Mother Sri-Isopanisada devi dasi and her husband, Vasudeva-data Prabhu. It started as an archived website called ISKCON Desire tree, then After the old world net fell, they turned it into an ashram for those souls stranded in Uranet." he scratched the back of his head. "Not that there's so many that managed to get freed from 'Kalia's grip."

"Wait...that thing has a name?" Zero asked who would give such a cute name to something so horrible.

"Yeah, Kalia, the thousand-headed, jewel cobra Sri-Krishna defeated y dancing on his hoods after he had poisoned the Yamuna to such extant Krishna's cows and His cowherd boyfriend's all died."

"...huh?"

"Don't worry, Hun; God Revived them all before he went and chastised the envious black snake." Mother Sri-Isopanisad assured. Noticing how confused Zero must be. "By the way, Archa, go easy on your friend; she just managed to escape a monster!"

"Sorry, mother, I...yeah, I'll be easier." Axl sheepishly scratched the back of his head.

"Axl...when we have time, and I'm out of this dress, I want you to tell me what the hell you're doing dressed like that and what..." he sighed.

"Will do Z...But first, I need to ask you." For the first time in her life, Axl's eyes shone with deep concern, gone was the brat, the impish reploid who would shamelessly rig the dispensary to give twice more than what was needed, who put the most annoying tune in the world as a doorbell and who once filled Signa's office with 357 cups filled with water.

oh...and repainted his armor pink in his recharge. How did the ex bounty-hunter manage to pull this off was beyond the war build ability to compute.

Instead, it was an adult, someone who was responsible and who cared.

"Zero... _What did you do?_ " He asked him with fear...and some anger.

It took Zero completely off-balance.

"Archa, Just give her some space." Vasudeva Prabhu rumbled. "Missy Zero, I know it's all sudden, but please follow us back at the temple, we'll be able to take better care o' you...and take as much rest as needed." The black-skinned elf pulled Zero her...to his...Up...and they floated there, their pure white dress fluttering in the nonexistent wind.

Vasudeva Prabhu chuckled. "Well, God just send us an Angel."

Zero remained silent, trying to hold onto her raging emotions until they left him alone to...process the event that had transpired. But once alone…

he let everything go...finally caving to the desire to scream and weep.

But before she could get swallowed...Mother Sri-Isopanisada came to her side. And she Stayed with Zero until the storm passed on.

* * *

" _ **And that's how I came in the Cyber-ashram of Guru-ma."**_

" _ **I can't believe you found Axl...was he happy there?"**_

" _ **No...he was not happy; he was in a constant, ever-increasing state of bliss. We all loved him so much, you know, he would lead the best Kirtana, intense and playful...but sometimes, he would make us cry with his divine emotions…"**_

" _ **I see."**_

" _ **He...After Mother Sri and her Husband left for Goloka...those emotions...ah, maybe I'll tell you later."**_

* * *

"So...what did you do?" Axl, Archa-Vigraha finally asked one day as Zero seeped the temple ground, just a show of thank to her host. It had been a few days after she had accepted the fact that no...she was not as neutral as they had all believed...and she was definitely not an M-model.

Not. Even. Close.

"Axl, I should ask you that!" She asked as she leaned onto the broom.

Axl rubbed the back of his head. "Well, I don't remember much after Lumine took control of my body; it was like this weird dream...a nightmare I could not wake up from." he spoke with detachment. "and then...I was in Ura-net." He gave a shudder. "Kalia got me good this time, and it was only because Bharat heard me scream my voice program off that he managed to find me." he sighed as he gazed at Sri-Isopanisada and her husband working in the flower garden while Bharat was on the lookout for trouble."Those three saved me from Kalia and...well, I liked what they were teaching,, so I became a Hare Krishna." He happily explained.

Zero stared at the ex-copy droid.

"A...Hare Krishna..." He repeated, the words extremely familiar to the red legend.

"Yeah, basically, I'm an aspiring servant of God, Krishna. And mother Sri, and Vasudeva Prabhu are my Bhakti-Yoga teachers. Same with Bharat."

"You see me as a teacher, huh?" Bharata bellowed from the top of the protective wall, giving Axl a fang-filled smirk. "Thought you saw as the world's most annoying old man."

"Nah, that's the other cyber-entity haunting the fallow-field." he dismissed. "anyway. What is the name of Yashoda? Did you do Zero?" the young hunter asked with concern.

Zero's mood turned a bit sad. "I...Axl, I had to...to get rid of it. There was no other way after...after what happened to you."

"you're talking about the virus."

"Yes...X...After you...went...After you got infected and...taken care of..." He painfully closed his eyes at the horrific memory. "it broke him. X had suffered through so much, and I...I was the cause of it." Zero revealed as he held his dainty fist. "So...one night...I...I left him. I surrendered myself to SciLab to have everything of my frame analysed and studied. " Some tears fell from his eyes again. "He...He looked so peaceful you know; as he stepped… he...he didn't even move when I...When I put him in...in sleep mode." His voice broke as sobs once again erupted from his heart.

He could still hear X's scream of pure anguish as darkness crept behind his lenses...and the mantra of.. 'It's for your own good.' and 'I love you..move on...live happily' running around in circled as his pump stilled and his system went into total shutdown.

Axl's eyes grew wide as he folded his palms and began to pray. "Oh, Gauranga...He Nityananda..."

"X….I...I did it for him...I..." He choked out...The horror that he had to go through finally crashing down on him.

"The next day, Axl, now called Archa-Vigraha das, told me everything that had happened to him ever since...that time." Draupadi spoke as she sat on the edge of the Pod, letting X /untangle her head sink. "And since I had nowhere to go, I started doing what they were doing; sweeping the temple ground,Chanting Hare Krishna and serving the lord in any way I could. And eventually, I took initiation, and my name became Draupadi Devi Dasi." She closed her eyes as she remembered the best day of her life, her rebirth.

"My teachers...Vasudeva and Mother Sri raised me like their own daughter, since I was the only other girl there...and mother Sri taught me everything.

"But...how about your gender...you never really identify with any of them so...what made you change your tune." X asked behind his returned loved.

"Well, I always was an F-model...I was just heavily modified by Wily, He tried to erase who I was, but… a false Ego's not so easy to delete." She explained. "when I was cross-dressing during the week-ends...that was me acting on old memories."

She heard X's apparatus bloom wider. "So you mean...this other personality was…!

"Yes...Lorollei was not just a persona I would use; it's not even a second personality...It was who I was before...before I was put in an artificial body..." Draupadi turned to face her husband; his hands were shaking.

She gently brought her hands to his face, lifting his beautiful green eyes so that they could meet her's. She could see a proverbial light lit up in his eyes. But Draupadi knew he didn't like what he was seeing.

"...So...I...Was Human Also." He put it into words.

"We all were…" She confirmed. "You, me...And everyone we knew. No one, no matter how inteligent and how technologically advanced, can program consciousness, emotions and desires."

"They took it from us..." She had never seen her husband looking so betrayed in her life, which, sadly, was quite a feat to accomplish.

"X…Echo. Look at me." She whipped away the tears dripping from his eyes. "It's in the past...The only thing we can do is to move forward."

"Forward to what!" X snapped, his despair clear in his voice. "Zero!...Humanity has no future...the earth's a Husk...and Neo-Arcadia...It's a golden cage, nothing more. And reploids...better if we all _died!_ "

Enclosing her sorrowful husband in the cage of her arms and legs, resting his head to her chest...to her core.

"I failed! I...Doctor light made me...I don't even know why he made me! Why he...he!"

"Shhh...it's alright...no use hating on him. Besides, without what he did...you and I would never have met!" Draupadi tried to make her voice light as if to lift the heavy cloud that hung over her husband.

She felt him shake...struggling to keep his sobs to himself, giving up on this endeavor, the blue bomber buried his between the two data-core that decorated her chest. His whole body shook as centuries worth of grief left him.

He cried bitterly for some time, letting it go… She hoped.

Eventually, after a good half an hour, the sobs subsided into hiccups, and those hiccups turned into silence...and the Vaishnavi let this silence stretch as X recovered some semblance of peace. She caressed his dark-brown hair, humming the Maha-mantra under her breath only loud enough that he could hear.

And then...she knew it was time...she could wait, but this was one wound that she could start healing.

"X...Archa, Axl had a message for you before he ascended." She closed her eyes...she could still see Archa's false ego dissolving as he...the soul, returned to his pure state.

As a lover of Krishna.

It was heartwrenching, and yet...it was the cause for celebration.

"He said…; X, don't you dare beat yourself over my fate. What happened was for the best...thank you for everything, man. Hope I'll see you soonish." Draupadi went as far as to imitate Archa's voice…

she missed him as much, if not more as her own Guru-ma.

X held her tighter as the tension left his frame. and finally...Draupadi heard some laughter from him.

" He...became a Hare Krishna...Cultist?" She could hear some humor returning to his in his voice, and she could , she could see a wry smile on his face. "Is it...a cult? What...what have they done to you?"

"They gave us shelter...and taught us the sublime and eternal truth," Draupadi spoke with clear gratitude. "Yes, I know how I sound something Echo. but trust me, I came out of my fanatical stage decades ago."

"Why?" X asked. "why would they teach this to...us?"

"Because those two were...are pure Vaishnava's. that's what a true lover of God does; they give shelter to anyone needing it. And those who are willing to listen, they gave us all the basic of Vaishnava Philosophy, and the choice to either follow it or go and live in the Virtual village twenty kilometers from there." She had almost walked away from this; only the deep feeling if rightness kept her there...

And seeing a Goofy Axl playing pranks, laughing and signing ancient and sacred hymns as he bathed, cleaned the temple ground with all of his heart secured her choice.

X's eyes grew wide. "Wait... there's a _village!?_ "

"More like a town...scientist here calls it the repository."

"Wait...you don't...you can't be serious." X denied, once again, it seemed his grasp on reality was about to let go once more.

"I am...and every time a new reploid was made, one of the villagers would be kidnapped...I've seen it happen." She explained. " Boom used to lived there hapily with his wife...until his wife became known as Layer. She came back a few years later."

X sighed. "and I thought reploids would be at peace once dead."

Draupadi snorted. As she began to massage X's head, feeling all the tension in the world living there as if it owned the prime piece of her property."Death's a myth for us spirit soul, we just think were dying because we think we are this body with temporary names attached to it." She explained. "We have nothing to do with this body...we're in it, and that's it."

"So...this racial difference between human colours and place of birth...human, reploid, black and white...Russian and American… Pakistan and India." He mumbled. "it's...it's all a big lie..."

"Those wars...all of those conflicts were cause by identifying with a bag of flesh...not as an eternal part of God." She gently spoke to X. "We are all His atomic particles, and just like Him, we are made of Bliss, Eternity and knowledge. And those bodies we're in are made of the opposite."

"All of this violence was...for naught." X's snorted...sobbed really.

Not willing to let her husband fall further into self-loathing, Draupadi lifted his face, making his dull green glance meet her's. "Echo...what happened can't be changed...and we do have our share of pain to go troughs." she felt him shudder. "But it doesn't mean we can't change the future." She gave X a peck on the lips, relishing the exchange.

Those were not cold, dry lips of a system vacated of its proprietor.

X sighed as he held Draupadi closer, his arms lazily resting on her hips. "...How?"

"Chant Hare Krishna."

"I did...It...it can't be that easy." X protested.

Draupadi's smile brightened the room considerably. "It is that easy. And the future did change."

"How!?" X move back enough to look at his better side, his eyes desperate.

"Because you just call God..." She revealed with a beatific smile. "Do you really think God would ignore one of his precious little souls' call for help? And look! your alive, I have my memory back and Neo-arcadia's not a burning crater! Trust me Xiu, things are starting to look up for you."

"But...I'm...A sinner." X denied weakly.

"No...The moment you chanted Hare Krishna, all your sins were absolved." Draupadi spoke with loving conviction. "That's why we call it the peace formula...just don't perform sin's again."

"But...Why?"

"Because Krishna, the supreme personality of Godhead, our one true friend and well-wisher, only desires us to come back to him. And he's willing to clear up all obstacles for this to happen."

"But...why? Were not human...and.-"

Draupadi held him tightly, "X...Echo...God's not the property of mere human," She knew he would say something about the fact that God didn't belong to the synth...and that his worship was exclusively for humankind. "we _all_ belong to Him...and he wants us _all_ back. You, me...Leviathan." Draupadi spoke in a way to warn the replicated mermaid that yes...she was still aware of her presence in the room.

"And...Axl...that what he did...he turned back to Him." X stated.

"Yes...and he succeeds were many humans failed," she revealed.

"So...Axl's with God now."

"Yes." Draupadi confirmed.

X began shaking, and the Vaishnavi feared another wave of emotions.

and then...X dissolved into laughter. bright, light, carefree.

At first, she was confused, then she realized the reason for this mirth.

 ** _AXL_** went back to God...Axl...The brat that loved giving Signas reasons to drink went back to God.

She knew X had some background in Catholicism...and quite frankly, the image of their brat ascending to heaven dressed in a dollar store costume was _hilarious_...

 _'Bet he...she must be a cousin of Madhumangal...Oh Krishna...He Bhagavan!'_ She also burst into laughter as she could see the two pure souls planning pranks and jokes for the Divine Couple's great pleasure.

eventually, their gales subsided, and they held onto one another.

No words were spoken...until Draupadi broke the silence once more. Until she was spurred to move by one detail.

Since her body was robotic, cramping Legs were not something she had to suffer through. But she was tired of sitting and she wanted X to get cleaned up since...well, saponified Oil...her old oil still stained his body.

She took X's hands and pulled him out of the recovery capsule. "C'mon, were wasting energy, I'm at, 95% fixed...how about you?" she asked.

"99%...it won't go higher, not with the pain chip gone." X's voice was a bit tight, and Draupadi could perceive some sorrow there.

"Good! Let this torture device go dance in the abyss." she declared with a bright smile and a sigh of relief.

"Zaki..." X began...unsure. "You...I've never heard you speak so much."

Draupadi's eyes bloomed further. "Oh...I...Ah..."

"And smile... And laugh so much." The blue bomber gave a kind smile, a love-filled smile. "I think...I think I can get used to this new you, Zero."

A vice she didn't realize was there released from her chest...this...this was more intense than that time she came out as a cross-dresser, and X accepting him…Her.

she embraced her husband...and then heard a sub-sonic squeal.

Right...She had almost forgotten about her. Draupadi paused and scanned the room…

' _Ah...there she is.'_ She turned her head toward the other reploid in the room. "Leviathan."

"Yes! I'm here..." the ice guardien spoke from the far-off corner of the room, she was...dustier than what Draupadi remembered.

She had never seen a live reploid covered with so much dust... And Leviathan was caked in it.

"...You're...a negative Ion generator." Draupadi realized, her purple eyes growing wider As leviathan tried to dust her shoulder, only to have the particles returning to her frame.

Leviathan gave a self-deprecating chuckle. "Yup! All the best to purify the ocean..."

"Levi," X interjected. "How long have you been standing here?" He asked with concern.

X's closest copy stared at her source, seemingly about to burst into tears. She turned to Draupadi, her palm folded, and gratitude illuminating her entire frame.

"Master, you've been working on Draupadi for three days since your confrontation with her. And you two have been out and cuddling in a pod for...oh ah...You've been in recovery mode for two more days master..." She finished meekly.

"So...I was unavailable to my subject for five days then." X sighed. "Any riots? Maverick...real threat?"

"No Master...the only threat was in the capsule with you...also, we cancelled all meeting and other work-related matter." The ice general revealed in the most professional tone Draupadi ever had the chance to hear, even Signas had never managed to sound this stiff and robotic.

X's expression turned into dismayed surprise. "What? Why?"

"Master...Neo-Arcadia's now under Draupadi's control." Leviathan revealed X. "She...we are all her hostage."

The blue bomber dropped Draupadi's' hand, turning at her with a look of pure betrayal.

"Zero...why?" He whispered.

"Because you need a break...And it's not like I asked for some impossible request." She spoke with arms crossed. "The only thing I ask was for a computer, a ten-year sabbatical for you and bathing facility."

X stared...obliviously trying to compute what Draupadi was saying.

The Vaishnava began to shuffle under her husband's bright green eyes. "Listen...You know I'm bad at negotiation." She admitted.

"You? Bad at negotiation?!" Leviathan scoffed. "Excuse be Draupadi-Zero, but you had us all by the core back then." she crossed her arms with a smirk.

"...It would've failed if not for X's reactivating...X, what the Hell did you do back then?" She suddenly turned to her husband.

Taken aback at being the center of attention again, X could only open his mouth and try to catch back the flow of the conversation.

"You know...when I had you on my lap, you did something, you opened your connection with the guardians and almost caused Fefnir to suicide." She asked without accusing. She knew just by X's stricken expression that his self-loathing had started.

"I...I was...I am connected to my four copies." He revealed as he held his head, shaken at what he had almost done. "But I...They felt what I felt to a degree...and..." His eyes grew unfocused.

Draupadi immediately held her husband in her embrace, threading her fingers in his short blackish-blue hair. "Shh-Shh, It's alright Echo..."

"I closed it off...I practically scrubbed the code away!" He kept speaking, his arms encircling Draupadi, his whole frame shaking. "I...Something told me...I felt like I had to open it...Like...I could lose you if it would remain closed."

"Yeah...Thank you, it saved my life." The servant of God knew fully well who this Something was. And now that she was with her co-conspirator and (recovering) husband, she could finally let her own guard down.

"Wait...you mean, you were bluffing?" Leviathan exclaimed as she tried to rub away the dust bunnies that had gathered at her feet, with little to no success. It clearly made her extremely uncomfortable, and yet she soldiered on.

"Leviathan...I was at below forty percent, do you really thing I could've taken all of you on?" Draupadi asked, and X held her tighter. "X, please...Don't feel bad. "

"I almost-"

"No...You didn't do anything to Fefnir, he was just too weak to fight your weight of despair." She drew back, gently holding her husband's face in her hands, once again touching gems...not as a mean of Data trensfer, but to make sure he understood that she held not ill will's toward him. "And as for you almost destroying my frame again...well, I would be insulted if you didn't greet me like that."

"Why?" X asked, still shaken by what had transpired.

"Because I would hate to break this beautiful tradition, you know. And you do ow me an actual fight!" Draupadi pouted, while she had lost the taste for killing, wrestling was a Vaishnava sport, and she knew the only one who could fight her toe to toe was none other than her husband.

This made him chuckle, and Draupadi felt a small victory won.

One of many she prayed.

"C'mon Hubby, let's go bath..." She turned an inquisitive glance toward the dusty ice general, who looked as if about to cry.

' _either she really hates being dusty and would also like to take a snana...or...she really cares about my Echo.'_ Of all the hunter's Leviathan seemed to be the most sensitive one...well, maybe Phantom fit the bill, but he was so hard to read.

"You too...you may take a break leviathan, and get all that dust away."

"Yes..." Leviathan choked out before they teleported out, probably to a personal pool or some such.

Now completely alone, Draupadi sighed as she began to caress X's shaking aback. Realizing that she'd forgoten to ask Leviathan were the facilties were.

Suddenly, she received a Com. Request. _'Alright...who could this be right now?'_ [Draupadi here, make it quick.]

[Draupadi-Zero, This is Hidden Phantom...] Neo-Arcadia's top assassin spoke.] She asked, X had leaned his chin on her shoulder, lulled by Draupadi's loving caress.

[Yes...what may io do for you?] She asked.

As an awnser, she received a few Data Packages. Scanning them for breath, she saw that those were a map of the Ivory tower, passcodes and frequancies that would open all doors and area and a warning that she would be shot on sight were she to leave the tower.

By following the map, she located the cleansing unit. It was definitely different then what she was used to, for after living in something that was modelled after a vedic home, the sight and smell of something this artificial, sterile and impersonal was extremely jarring.

She gave a shudder...she missed bathing in the Virtual Ganga trice a day.

"Zero… is everything alright?" X asked from the bench he was sitting on. His eyes still looked heavy from sorrow, but now worry marred his features.

"Yeah. I am...I'm just...I hate this place." She spoke bluntly as she activated to room. An over-sized pyrex tube emerging from the ground. "What's this thing? A shower?"

"No, It's a reploid cleansing unit designed to use the least amount of water possible," X explained as he finnished removing all of his gears, the task done, he returned to his wife's side, raising his hand towards a hidden scanner.

-Greeting Master X, All Glories to light-

The room spoke in a very robotic tone.

-Please, oh master, chose an option for your divine ablu-

The Vaishnavi cringed...and infected the control panel, muting the thing.

She Felt X froze. "...Zero?...Draupadi, is that?"

"Yes X, It's the Virus." She admited.

"...So...all the members of the resistance truly are maverick...aren't they." He stated, resigned to the fact that his nightmare was really about to start again.

"No." Draupadi shook her head as she walked in the...reploid shower, for lack of better words. Once in, the grilled floor magnetized and a strong current of air blew from down to up. Blowing away whatever dust particle had been stuck on their frame.

Draupadi let her eyes slid over to X...obliviously, being stuck in an oversized leaf blower did absolutely nothing to remove the oil and the neutralised energene.

Then, nozzles rose up from the floor, and began spraying the couple with diluted solvent.

[Ok...Never had my frame cleaned like that.] she conveyed to X through their private radio waves.

[You liked it?]

[No.] Draupadi pulled a face, making sure not to open her mouth.

[Me neither.] X answered back with a very wry smile. [But...can't use water I don't need...It'd not like I can get dehydrated.]

Draupadi shot him a look, his eyebrows furrowed. [X, you need water...not as much and as frequently as water bases life form, but you still do!]

The master of Neo-Arcadia had the decensy to look sheepishly away.

[Echo...Xiu Ying…] Draupadi started again. [Don't worry, things will get better. I promise. Don't lose hope.]

[I...I don't dare to hope anymore…] X spoke sadly. [But...your back...maybe...maybe I can...hope that your new maverick will leave my ark alone?] His voice took a very slight hysterical edge.

"Oh, you don't have to worry about them." Draupadi assured her overwrought Husband as the nozzles sprayed her down with pure water...the only water used in the entire procedure. "My new mavericks only order is to spread the Karuna Virus to any soul they encounter."

X's head snaped back at his wife, his glorious green eyes wide. "...The what virus?"

"the Karuna-virus...or the Divine-Mercy virus."

"D...Divine mercy..."

"yeah!" The Vaishnavi gave a bright smile. "This virus drives away all miseries and opens the lotus of good fortune, it purifies the mirror of the heart, and is the end of all knowledge." she blisfully stated. "Golokera-prema-Dhana, Harinama-Sankirtana! The holy names of Krishna, of God are the shower of nectare descending directly for his eternal abode of love, Goloka-Vrindavana..." Draupadi stopped herself, realizing that this...may be a bit much for her husband.

"What are the symptoms?" X asked, not in fear but with genuin curiosity.

Draupadi let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. "Eternal Bliss, self-realization, the end of suffering and the re-establishment of our eternal loving relationship with Krishna, the supreme personality of Godhead," she explained, keeping her voice steady as to not betray how antsy she felt.

She had just come back a changed person, even she could not recognise her old self…and she was now spouting about Love of God and how to Get it...the Red Ripper was talking about God...and about love openly.

At that moment, Draupadi realized just how much she changed…

Zero., the maverick hunter was gone, the killer of Iris, the failure of Eurasia and the who broke X, as per his programing was...gone.

She was now Draupadi Devi Dasi...a servant of the servant of Gauranga, Krishna...of God.

She spray cycle was over, the room was once again quiet save from the two systems humming with energy.

The magnetick floor turned off, releasing the two reploids. Draupadi quickly went out, sure, her system were informing her that her exterior fram was spotless...but she still longed to have a proper bath.

And...she felt shy…

She knew X, and she knew the last thing he needed was a Lover that didn't act as he used to, and yet, she could not go go back to Zero…

She heard her God-given husband approach her from behind, and she let him wrap his thin yet powerful arms around her waist. His Frame moulding to Draupadies own.

' _Well...this didn't take long.'_ She had hoped she could postpone this particular aspect of their relationship, having found something better and sweeter.

"Zaki..." he breateh to her audio.

"Yes, Xiu Ying?"

"Do you think you could..."

' _He'll ask for a sych..."_ She just knew it.

"...Infect me more?"

She turned to her husband, a painful hope she had was happening in front of ther eyes.

the legendary blue reploid's eyes held anticipation and deep eagerness...Loliam.

_Spiritual Greed._

Another smile, this one teary. In great Bliss, Draupadi chanted, and X followed.`

_~Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare,~_

_~Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare~_

The divine pandemic had started.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 400 mistakes... *Cry*


	10. a cloudy horizon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The queen has returned to her rightful place beside her husband, but not all the vassal shares his bliss.  
> The lioness induced her master to roar, scaring the jackals away.

Alouette stood at attention between two soldiers she didn't know, 'recruited' from the civilian barrack by Elpizo himself.

Ever since Draupadi had left, the other bleached blonde had practically taken over the resistance, turning it into a 'proper' military force. Training became mandatory and the civilians all had to learn how to use guns and how to kill. Even Alouette and Ciel were not spared.

That was until Ciel began to show sing of stress related illness. And Elpizo had instead stuffed he back in the lab...were she was more needed since she was was on the cusp of solving the energy crisis that plagued them all.

The scheduled was strict, waking time was at five and they were force to function until Elpizo was satisfied. He ran drill after drills...and they were rumors that some reploids had broken down during a morning run in the desert.

Most were now starting to regret their decisions to make Elpizo the high commander in chief...realizing that the civil-build was greedy for power and revenge. Unfortunately for them, the few that truly shared Elpizo's view were strong arming anyone they suspected were against they Fuehrer…

And no one could fight against the expert fencer. Only Draupadi could teach him a good lesson.

It was Coucou who managed to stick the name onto they rabid retriever's back. It fit him like a glove.

Speaking of which, there he was, once again inspecting all of the reploids he had forced to join in his effort to topple Neo-Arcadia...now with both X and Draupadi at it's helm.

' _Oh Lord Sri-Sri Rahda-Krishna...please, I want to go with Draupadi again...I want to leave this place.'_

"well, well, well." The oily voice of Elpizo intruded in Alouette's prayer, and the little reploid froze.

She had slackened her pose...and even is she now stood straight, she knew what was coming.

It was not her fault, he batteries were had a terrible capacity...and she was running low.

The riding crop ripped across her face four time, by the fifth one, she fell in the scorching mid day sand.

She needed to recharge...but being useless in the eye of the commander, she would received but mere scraps and broken e-crystal.

"What a useless reploid you are..." Elpizo gave a nasty sneer. "Too small to hold a gun properly, too weak to hold a blade...you would work great for infiltration tough." he hummed as he roughly nudged the little girl with his pristine boots. "But...we simply do not have the resources to...efficiently train you." He sighed. "Alas...another dud...just return to you storage area A-13, and don;t come back for a drill, we do not entertain lost causes here."

She got of from the desert ground...she wanted to cry...she wanted Draupadi…

' _Oh Draupadi...why did you leave...what have we done to lose you association?"_ The sorrowful reploid thought as she picked herself up from the ground, limping as fast as she could back to her room.

Ciel...poor Ciel had managed to convinced Elpizo to let Alouette keep Draupadi's room, now a sanctuary for the reploids eager for the shelter of the Lord...or just wanting relief from their Princess's hourly blasphemy. Alouette's old room having being taken over by more servers, since Ciel wanted to expand their network.

Alouette opened the door, not looking at the raunchy graffiti defiling her Heroine and all but collapsed in the room...now expanded to accommodate a small altar hidden behind a wall of fake servers, really, just a bunch of flashing light and an RF generator made to imitate the usual radiation and heat one would expect from so many machines in such a small room.

It fooled everyone.

"Alouette!" Hibou quietly exclaimed as he rushed to the smallest reploid on the base. He picked her up and deposited the smallest android on her cot and plugged her to the converter… Thanking Krishna for Draupadi's generous donation of E-Crystal.

Eventually, Alouette booted…

"Miss Alouette?" Hibou asked quietly. "What happened this time?" It was well known that Elipzo would gleefully bully anyone who he saw as useless and inferior.

The little blonde opened her eyes, and grabbed Socrates… "He...he made us stand in attention for four hours..." Her legs were giving her error messages...her nanite confused about how to deal with the perceived damage. "I got too hot...and...I almost ran out of energy..." She spoke.

Hibou let out a growl. "Damn that Pisser, damn him to the lowest pit of hell." The usually jovial and kind reploid cursed. "He knows your energy up-taker's shot, and your battery life's abysmal! What...why? Just why?"

Alouette closed her eyes, and consulted the sacred filed she bore, Draupadi's parting gift. And then came with a good answer.

"I did this to him in one of my previous life." she explained. "Sure, It's painful for my body, but that's justice happening."

"JU-" Hibou caught himself, returning his voice to a harsh whisper. "Justice?! How do you call torturing an innocent justice?!"

"We all have a past...I did something to this soul...the same thing to this soul in the pass, and now, I'm reaping the result. But don't worry, I'm fine!" Alouette assured the heavy set reploid. The poor man looked to be about to cry.

"You may be 'fine'...But I can't stand what he's doing to you..." He got up.

"Hibou! Wait!" The girl in pink managed to catch Hibou sleeves. "Please! don't try anything stupid! Just let him be!" She begged from her bed.

"I'm not doing anything stupid!" Hibou snapped. "Egret took over the entire resistance, he _executed_ those who where suffering from desperation, forces Ciel into _slavery_ and now..." He clenched his fist. "Now...he's torturing you!" he raised his red eyes. "We can't lose you Alouette! You...you're our only link to Draupadi and God!"

Alouette remained silent. It was true, she had also tried to upload the files in Andrews and Cardinal's system, but it seemed the files were encrypted in such a way that only Draupadi and Alouette (for some obscure reason) could read it.

It would not be such a big deal if Draupadi would have come back and killed Egret and remained at the resistance...but now with X being alive and...better, The Legendary hero of Old had chosen to remain in Neo-Arcadia to keep him safe…

Alouette had at first felt angry at Draupadi, but after chanting for a little bit and Asking God why, she got her answer

Draupadi's duty was with X, her dearest person, and to bring X in the resistance base was the same as putting her blade to his neck. And while she could retire all of those who wanted X dead…

No...The result would be even worst then what was happening at the moment. Draupadi was not meant to remain in a small settlement of reploids, her ultimate mission required her to be in Neo-Arcadia.

"Hibou...You can't kill Egret. Your not made for fighting." She told the rotund reploid, quite an interesting Model for sure.

The 'fat' reploid puffed his cheeks unhappily. "I can always try!" he groused.

"Trying implies that you may fail, and if you fail, Egret will come to know of our groups, and once this happen..." One could not speak of Radha-Krishna and Prabhupada without a mantion of Draupadi...and even if the Hare-Krishna reploid could hid the fact that their founder was none other then The Betrayer…

"We can't run this risk Hibou...Draupadi's first order is to spread the holy names and the teaching's of Krishna and Prabhupada. If...If we get caught, then Egret will kill us all."

"Just because Draupadi-Zero left to Get X off our back..." Hibou sat back down beside Alouette. "By the way...did she replied to you? She contacted you two days ago, right?"

Alouette nodded, and then shook her head, Clutching Socrates to her quivering chest. once again, concern for Draupadi's well being nibbled at her mind.

The little reploid had woken up alone, the entire base in turmoil over the saint's sudden departure...Egret, being the terrible reploid he was, had taken this opportunity to defame Zero, Exposing her as X's illicit lover and…

plenty other words a little reploid like her shouldn't hear...not that Alouette wanted her heroine get destroyed by an upstart.

Alouette had tried to contact Draupadi many time after that, She was mad at the legend for having hacked her into sleep mode...and leave her and the rest of the base.

Then Draupadi contact her back three days after, telling her friend that she was fine and that her mission was well under and couldn't wait to Bring X back to the resistance to have Cerveau work on him…

This plan had changed the moment she had heard of Egret's mutiny…

Still Saintly Draupadi had been trilled to hear about Coucou, Paon, Andrew, Cardinal, Hibou and quite a few more were interested in the path of Bhakti, and even more so when the majority of the elves were chanting.

And then...radio silence once more, and Egret became even worst now that he had loyal followers.

' _Draupadi told me she would contact me soon...it's almost three days now.'_ And knowing that she was in enemy territory didn't do anything to ease her worry. Even if X was supposedly better now.

Alouette closed her eyes and began to pray. Without Draupadi, she only had Krishna left.

* * *

Back in Neo-Arcadia, In X's seldom used room, in his bed, most precisely, one would easily excuse the scene for something else.

Draupadi was on her back, bolstered on a pile of opulent pillows while she cradle X in her arms and legs, his face was hidden from view in her golden heat sink. His whole body shook as if from the cold.

"...Sorry." X mumbled in the crook of Draupadi's neck as he laid on top of her, he was back in his ceremonial cloak, the only thing missing was his Data crown, something the Vaishnavi was extremely opposed of.

"It's alright Echo." The blonde whispered as she gently and lovingly caressed X's back, rubbing comforting circles as she tried to chase away his panic attack. The other one, the one missing a thumb, massaging his short hair.

"I don't know what came over me I...I'm not like that usually." he held his wife tighter. As his body trembled uncontrollably.

The reason for this pathetic scene was rather simple. Despite Draupadi's demands, The humans council and the eight 'gentle' judge had requested Master X's presence in the assembly, strongly hinting that he should return to his server-throne in order to prevent some sort of hinted at disaster that must not even be real.

Seriously, they had nothing better then the treat of the maddened yet seldom seen ellipse and her clones, the Baby elves.

Oh, and the energy crisis...something easily debunked by a simple search about how E-crystals were manufactured.

Those were sun and heat reactive stones that had the amazing ability to store an energy. And once depleted, they would be spat out and put in the sunshine again.

No, Reploids had no such thing as saliva saved those who wanted. And...it was the only way not to suck upp too much gift from the overwrought mother Bhumi.

Draupadi had been about to remind them all that she was viral ans that she held the faith of Neo-Arcadia in her palms and could easily turn the entire city-scape maverick at a mere thought. but her husband had told her that no...it was his duty to the humans...and the reploids.

After a short argument...X had prevailed and made his way to the main council hall.

She had followed him to this big room trial room, her husband was standing at the bottom of the pit.

The entire image had sickened her to no end. And not,t he fact that she was shackled and surrounded by the four guardians as if she would be tried herself had nothing to do with it.

She had let them decorate her body with those fancy electronic cuffs, they would give her some more trouble then most electronic locks, but not by much. And, from what she had observed, three out of four guardians were actually favorable to her. Especially Leviathan who had given the Vaishnavi her full support...and thinly veiled flirting.

But those three were not the reason why she had been infuriatingly serene when surrounded by numerous pantheons and golems. She knew Krishna would protect her no matter what.

The overly inflated councils had piled X with ludicrous accusation of consorting with the enemy (Hah!) and trying to sabotage the beautiful and clean Utopia that was Neo-arcadia by letting a viral reploid alive. Reminding him that all maverick had to be decommissioned...as X had desired.

It was...pitifully funny to her. For she had the feeling that the council men were making all of those allegation up...and yet somehow being more right then wrong. Expect the last part, she had a feeling her hubby had been coerced...and would believe that until proven wrong.

X had always desired to see if maverick could be talked to, cured or...reprogramed. Unfortunatly, Draupadi now knew that mavericism was basicly of reploids hitting the limit of how much abuse they could tolerate.

And The zero virus removing whatever morality and sense-control they had.

Then the Gentle Judge ruled that X had to destroy Zero for good and her parts taken for analysis. Obliviously to mass produce her frame for the next line of pantheons.

Sure, those puppet could be extremely deadly when pitted against the civil build. But for facing an actual, battle grade reploid desperate enough to ignore their moral code and commit suicide by hunters, it was exactly the same as chucking paper dolls at a pressure washer.

Then...as she was ruminating how she could possess one of those fancy new pantheons. X had done something Draupadi never expected him to do…

He got mad...at humans.

As in...She never saw him so wrathful before. Like, biblicaly wrathful.

Needless to say, the sight of X in full seraph mode, his six wings fully flare as he floated above the demoniac council like Garuda over a pit of snakes was a sight Draupadi would never forget.

And it was just to protect her...someone who was, by definition, a criminal.

While she didn't consider herself a servant of the Lord, she was sure Krishna would bestow his causeless mercy upon this particular soul.

The dressing down he had then given them all reminded Draupadi of the time when X would train the cadets. Especially when it came to bring down a few inflated Ego.

Oh, and the absolute verbal barrage he had given Sigma when he finally managed to delete this poor souls false Ego with...with…

Yes, so her memory was still a bit corrupted. For all Draupadi knew, this had been an amazing dream.

X didn't let anyone have a word edge wise, and by the end of it, it was clear that those human would be offered a fully payed retirement...as long as the didn't dare to try and take control of him ever again and let him and Neo-Arcadia be. while the eight gentle judge were requested to have their system scanned for tempering since their was no way they would've willingly let X sabotage his hard work.

By the end of It, the Ruler of Neo-Arcadia landed, scooped up his wife from the custody of _his_ guardians and stalked like a maddened lion to his inner chamber repleted with a single bed, a closet, a memorial for Zero (complete with her old saber, her favorite mug and X's favorite picture.) and nothing else.

There, in the safety of his room, X collapsed...seemingly in pain.

After running a quick diagnosis, it was revealed that X's hardware and software were all in the green...he was just differing from a panic attack.

A major panic attack.

It took some time for Draupadi to clam him down, using a combination of the Maha-mantra and soothing touch for him to calm down. Leading him to his single, practically untouched yet freshly made bed.

Thank God it was not dusty...or worst.

Their they had laid in each-other's arms, waiting for the last of the storm to pass. And instead of cursing Mister light for the torture he had inflicted on his spotless son, Draupadi recited her Japa, knowing that the divine sound vibration would further sooth X from his pavlovien reaction.

It was not something new to them. While Zero had 'his' scares, X had the pain chip. And every time he would even desire to go against a human or bend doctor light's rigid moral code, even for some logical reason as Reploid right, or even for saving another human...he would feel pain.

No, not mental pain, he didn't need help with that. But physical pain.

Doctor light had let this one son keep his complete free will, but it seemed the 'good' doctor had some second thought, and gave his greatest creation a shock collar instead.

"Echo… You're just at the end of you saintly patience." Draupadi scoffed. "They had it coming, for a long time now." She gently laid a kiss on his head. "You just got mad, That's all."

X let out a shaky sigh as he tried to fuse with his wife via Osmosis. "I almost killed them...there was nothing to stop me."

"I was there."

"you were surrounded...and cuffed."

"Big deal."

"And you don't have your saber anymore."

Draupadi huffed. "Still have other weapons Xiu Ying."

"Yeah...like your virus." He sighed. "Maybe...Maybe you should've act of you primary directive and-"

"Hey! don't say that." Draupadi gently snapped. "X, it's in the past, we can only move forwards."

X let out a sigh. "yes...Move forward." He finally got up from his wife. He still look drawn, but the centennial Vaishnavi could perceive a glint of hope daring to nestle in Her hubbie's lenses. "So...you...what are you looking forward to, Zaki?" He asked with a weak yet genuine smile.

"I look forward to contacting Alouette… " Draupadi spoke with some concern, she was aware that a mutiny was happening at the resistance base, led by…

What's his face...that bleached blonde...the creep who was a bit too obsessed with Cyber-elves…

Right...Egret.

' _Nah...I'm calling him Bakasura.'_

"I thought you already did." X asked as he rested his hands of Draupadi's knee's, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

"Yeah… .five days ago. " And counting. "I think...I think she may still be mad at me for staying in Neo-Arcadia and not returning to base." She crossed her arms over her chest. "Maybe...Maybe I should've just...no...I had no strength to walk out the medical bay." She sighed.

Really...the Lord of the Universe wanted Draupadi here. And his latest instrument had no say in it.

"Hey...It's alright Zero." X squeezed her knee, his bright green eyes overflowing with love. " Just give me the word and I can send Phantom check up on her."

Draupadi smiled, she still felt worry, but she knew she did her best...It was all in Krishna's hands now.

"Yeah...make sure no one notice him tough. Just have him scout first and...do you think he could deliver a message?"

X smiled as he contact his right hand man. "Yes, once your ready, he will personally infiltrate the base and deliver it. I just need to know how she look like."

Draupadi wordlessly send her husband a picture of Alouette via wireless communication...and her apology. And e reminder of the code for the Neo-Arcadian relay point. "And if she's still chanting hare Krishna, then Have Phantom extract her as soon as possible...and with anyone who're still favorable to me."

"Alright, consider it done."

"Thank Echo..." She fell silent.

"And...after Alouette is rescued, what are you plans and...how can I help you?" X asked, his hands never leaving his beloved Draupadi's knees.

Draupadi owlishly stared at him.

"What?"

"I just came back from the dead, went against your expectation, _ripped you're body_ _apart_ _and broke the pain chip_ and you still..." She gesticulated before giving up on this wasteful human habit. "...It's the Mantra, isn't it?"

X just smiled back to his wife. It was good to see after so many years of wars, even his eyes had regained some of their shines.

Draupadi grinned. "I'm glad your back Echo."

" Same here." He grinned back, his gazed never leaving the supine form of beautiful Draupadi.

"So...what can I do to help you spread this amazing Mantra to the mass?" he asked with en enthusiasm she hadn't seen in centuries.

"I need a computer, one with a reploid friendly key-board. I have a few petabyte worth of holy scriptures to get out manually. I would also need some human cloths."

like a long skirt...or a sari, preferably.

"Alright… But why can't you just upload them like I do?" Her husband asked, his face carefully neutral save for a small upturn of his lips.

She sighed. "I need to type it out…" it took the great Acharia to type seventy books around...eleven years. And he did not finished the herculean task, his disciples had to pick up the torch.

Draupadi had 376 more books to write, classes to render into manuscript and…

she would not be able to rebirth the ancient recordings of sacred songs...and the transcendental art…

Maybe Alouette could trace them? She _was_ an exceptional artist.

"And why would that be?" X asked with a growing smile.

She made a face. "No computer seem to be able to read them, it seemed their stint in Uranet made them unreadable." She huffed.

She heard her husband chuckle. "So, you'll be back at writing reports on a keyboard then."

Draupadi stared at the face of her beloved X. "What do you mean?"

"I never had to write a report in my life since I would just upload the TXT. File directly to Alia. You, on the other hand, had to write everything down since your codding language is incompatible with everything else." Once again, X's goofy smile never left his face.

As were his tears.

"X.."

"I'm fine I just..." He wipped away his tears. "You're back...you truly are back." He cleared his airway of the extra fluid that was flowing there. "Ah...Anyway, can you please teach me what's Bhakti-Yoga?"

Draupadi looked deeply into the emerald green eyes of her husband and the one she loves in this life time.

X gently approached his dear Draupadi and touched Gem. "Zaki...I've been trough and seen all that this world could give...and I...I'm tired of it." He let out a gusty sighed. "I've tried to make my people happy...but I only ended up causing more trouble for everyone." he raised his eyes, green meeting violet. "please, teach me...teach me how to practice it. How to Practice Bhakti-Yoga." He laughed. " your so Happy Zero, I can barely recognize you." He caressed he cheek. "You're practically another person."

Draupadi averted her eyes. "I know...I changed. It's like I'm...another person entirely" She doubted her old self, Maverick hunter Zero, would even tolerate her presence.

X reached to her face and gently lifted her head do that their eyes could meet.

Once again, tears flowed form his eyes. _'He Bhagava_ _n_ _...I hope his_ _tear-duct_ _didn't glitch.'_

"yes and I...I think I'm falling in love with Draupadi-Zero even faster then with your previous version." X sighed as he gently caressed her flawless cheeks, making his beloved Blush.

He gasped.

"Yes...so I finally turned the blush option on." Draupadi blushed harder.

"your so cute..."

"Oh shut it...it's just material."

"It's still cute."

"It's just a mask covering wires, cogs and a metallic skull...there's nothing pretty and attractive about it."

As a mild rebuke, X kissed her warm cheeks….and her lips.

" Yes, but the person inside makes it all beautiful." he spoke sweetly, kissing her again. "So...what can you tell me about Bhakti-Yoga? How do you practice it and...Can I practice it?" X returned to the main subject. And once again, Draupadi marveled at his curiosity and natural enthusiasm.

It was just like in the beginning of their relationship.

A smile shone on her pretty features. "So Bhakti-Yoga. Yoga means to Link up with God, Krishna .This ancient art used to be practice for self-realization and the ultimate elevation of the purified soul back home, Back to Godhead." She began, letting he sacred teaching flow from her voice box. "Self-realization mean to stop identifying with the body we are in, but as the eternal, ever conscious spirit soul and servant of God, Krishna."

"Yes...I see." X nodded, his full attention on his wife's words. "I'm not this body...I'm the soul, the source of consciousness." the way he said it, it was clear it was realized knowledge.

Zero raised a brow. "You already realized that?"

"Zaki, I could feel myself floating above my body after...After Ellipse burned it to ashes..." X revealed.

"I thought you said-"

"That it was for humans only, I know!" Some of X's frustration and anger at himself shone trough. "I tought...I thought is was yet another overly human thing doctor Light gave me." he huffed. "But...if what you said is true..." Haunted green eyes met the lively violet. "Zaki...how did we ended like this?" he finally asked.

" Karma." She explained. "Basically, we did something in the past that got us in those particular types of body. And by acting a certain way, we will get ourselves yet another body. Either animals, plant, supernatural or, if we are extremely fortunate, Human. Being in an android body is...well, a very special Karma."

"So...you don't know."

Draupadi shrugged. "No...I don't know how I, you, or any other reploid came to be. And I don't care to know either." she crossed her arm. " We've fallen from the spiritual platform to the material platform, and now we need to get back up again. And personally, I don't have the time nor the head to look into the 'why' and 'how' of this particular glitch."

"And let me guess, we can get out of this situation by Chanting the Hare-Krishna Mantra." X deduced with a smile.

"You're right." she confirmed. "kaler doṣa-nidhe rājan, asti hy eko mahān guṇaḥ, kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya, mukta-saṅgaḥ paraṁ vrajet." She quoted a well known verse – to her – of the Srimad-Bhagavatam. " My dear King, although Kali-yuga is full of faults, there is still one good quality about this age: simply by chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, one can become free from material bondage and be promoted to the transcendental kingdom." S.B, 12.3.51."

How...when was the last time she quoted scripture?

X brought her hand to his heart. "...can we chant it now?"

Draupadi looked deeply at her husbands glorious green eyes, now glowing with spark of Krishna-Bhakti. The she sat up, swung her legs off the side of the bed and got up, dragging X with her. "Later, I want to start writing as soon as possible." She went to the door, more then ready to start her true mission when she froze.

"Zaki? What's wrong?" X asked, clearly nervous.

For her part, Draupadi was busy staring at the reflection...her Kevlar vest was gone, exposing her two Data-crystals to all.

In other words…

"X...can you lend me some cloth?" she asked with a blush as she body-consciously covered her breasts.

* * *

"I don't like it."Harpuia groused for the…He'd lost count. The green general of the brave sky didn't like the situation, it was not something that should be allowed but it was!

Zero, the traitorous bitch...she had not left His glorious master side for five days, 22 hour, 3, minutes and 48 second. She had corrupted his drive with 'the code', rendering The lord and master of Neo-Arcadia as a raving lunatic, then she tricked him with her so called act of martyrdom. then she had the galls to _infect_ computer right in front of their eyes with the maverick virus...she had even turned X _against them_ then..

Oh...she could not be consider a woman with the gauge of cable coiled in he innards. And definitely not X's so called wife.

X was pure...he would never...no...Zero was the filthiest Glitch of them all, and his Master would never let the first maverick get in his system.

And yet...after the dress down it had given the guardien...it had broken in Master X holy hardware and...damaged it…

Harpuia, fuming like a volcano about to erupt, bumped into one of Fefnir's potted fern, sending the rare and valuable plant careening to the ground. But not about to lose his prized specimen, the fire based general dived in and saved it in extremist.

"Yo! Har! For the love of Master X can you _please_ chill the rust out?"Fefnir scold as he put the potted fern back into it's rightful place, checking her over to see if his green co-unit caused any damage to the equally green plant. "I get you, your mad 'cus Draupadi-Zero back in X life after what she did. I get it, I totally get it man. And you didn't need to report to me all the wrong she did, I was there, I saw it, and I was there when Phantom briefed us about the whole glitchy Pain chip debacle and how Draupadi-Zero saved Master X hide –Again-" The apron wearing redhead rolled his eyes. As if he was unbothered and unconcern about the upcoming calamity.

"How do you know it doesn't want to destroy us all internally. For all we know-" Harpuia began, only to be interupted by his slower brother-unit.

Fefnir sighed."For all I know, Master X's as happy as a pig, a bit nervous but definitely happy and madly in love." Fefnir grin as she chuckled. "Can't you fell it Har?"

Harpuia rolled his eyes as he leaned onto one of the numerous fine covered columned of Fefnir's green domain. Yes, he could feel it...but he didn't want to trust it. And he hated it...

" _Har!"_ Gardening Fefnir yelped. "What did I told you about crushing my jasmine creeper!"

Once again, Harpuia rolled his eyes without moving, he was not on Fefnir's precious plant, he had situated himself between a gap, letting the stone like pillar support him.

Fefnir sighed again as he went to grab his ancient (vintage) glass mister."you don't like her, fine. But you have to admit, Draupadi-Zero being in Neo-arcadia's a real good deal for us."

"Oh, really? Care to explain?" Harpuia sneered.

"She's sold out to X, she would cut her throat for him." Fefnir mimed.

"Fefnir, just shut up. Your only saying this because you ow it-"

"her"

"a life dept."

Fefnir snorted as he move tot he Bougi to his roses. "Life dept or not, I'm glad she's around. Virus or not." a soft smile lighting his face. "She a good fighter, dedicated to master X...and uber cute to booth." he chuckled. "yeah...master X is a lucky man Har...I'll count myself fortunate if I could have some scrap from his love feast."

"Or course you would. Traitor." Harpuia hissed.

Were they not the four pillars of Neo-Arcadia, Harpuia would readily kill them all. For all had been infected with 'affection' for Draupadi.

"Dude, keep your bad blood outa my domain, my babies can only take so much bad vibes." Fefnir turned to his green co-unit. "I can hear them cry...you made my plants _cry,_ bro."

His fire based brother had a very green thumb and could revive whatever seed and root cultivar the explorers would bring him back...years ago. And he would do so with love, dedication and a care only a mother could show to a new born.

It was sickening...For the green general knew that Fefnir's hard work meant nothing without steady rain. And the forest of dysis did not need his help at all since it was but a mere fancy carbon scrubber made to look like pre-war greenery.

All those plants he grew, those food bearing , the grains and high yield pulse fed the humans, his flowers decorated the walls and streets of Neo-Arcadia, their faint scents intoxicating their inhabitant with the false hope that eventually, they would all be out of the Eden dome.

But they all knew it was for naught...no progress had been made to regrow the boreal and amazonian forest. What to say of the prairies, the sekoya forest, the Rockies and the rest of the world?

No...Neo-Arcadia was the last bastion of humanity, the last cradle and it's grave.

It was just a matter of time for things to fail...now that maverick Zero had dug it's claws deep in his heart. Already Harpuia had witnessed the damage she had already brought to the saintly and pure Father of All Reploids.

X, the kind, patient, and serene emperor of Neo-Arcadia had flown in a rage and had been _this close to_ attacking humans…

he had pulled his weapons on them...and had threatened the humans council wit _death_ were they to return here and try to control him. And this wrath had been triggered at the absolute logical suggestion of Killing the source of all mavericks.

Master X was the most powerful being in the world, a God in his own right. And now...a so called woman, the walking apocalypse held the leash.

"Oh yeah...I'm so glad those rusted Cogs got ousted." Fefnir spoke with a toothy grin. Breaking Harpuia out of his dark ruminations. "Finally got to see Master as angry as he should be with the clowns."

Harpuia stared Aghast at his red counter part.

"You spoke aloud again. And come on, those humans have no idea what it's like to be a reploid so how dare they try to put laws for us." he huffed, putting down his mister. " Sure, were met to serve them...but let's be honest, were just slave to those squishes. "

Harpuia narrowed his eyes. Once again, a traitor was in front of him, probably seduced by Zero.

He would not fall for it. Harpuia knew better then follow a fake woman around as if she was a bitch in heat.

Suddenly, Harpuia's audio's caught the devil itself and their saintly king's conversation. It seemed the plague Master and finally deigned to release its spotless prey from it's clawed grip.

"So that's how we got married." He heard what was probably the tail od of Master X side, the 'm' word almost causing the leader of the brave sky to purge.

"Yes...I still can't believe that an old garland maker was still...oh that Rascal!" Zero gasped, then bust into laughter.

"What? What happened?"

"Xiu...this was not a just garland maker living in the abandoned temple ...it was _Him_!"

" _Him_? No...why would God even do that?"

"Only he knows."

Harpuia sneered at the conversation, sickened by how easy it was for Zero to trap everyone in webs of lies.

X and his corrupter resumed their conversation. " That would explained why those garlands were still fragrant and fresh after fifty years...and it would also explained how this person managed to make garlands of Marigold in a concrete waste land."

"That's Ksir-Chora-Gopinath for you." Zero fondly chuckled, and Harpuia did his best not to find the sound intoxicating and sweet.

The world around him was burning, Leviathan and Fefnir had fallen pray to the glitch's spell, and thus were of no use in saving their Majesty.

And no, Harpuia didn't trust Phantom at all, for he had also shown signs of attraction to the trojan. To it's ever exposed feet.

It must've known of the Assassin's fatal flaw...otherwise, why would they have walked in without any feet protection?

Nevertheless, He would save his master...no mater what.

The sound of laughter and irregular foot-step reached his audio. It was clear it was 'playfully' shovign the master of Neo-Arcadia as they walked down the hall, they're carefree laughter a bitter-sweet song to his ears.

"Dang...Master X is floating. Like...Is it even legal to be this happy?" Fefnir ask as he removed his apron and went to the door of his domain, opening it. "I want to see it…hey!" He yelped as his green co-unit shoved his aside.

Yes….Harpuia wanted to see it too, just to satisfy his morbid curiosity.

As he exited the green room, the green general entered the whitish blue marble corridor to a sight that made him burn.

Walking with an arm around X fragile waist, wearing his holy garb and leaving his Master devoid of covering. Zero glowed with joy. It's hairs were braided and Master X's oh so sacred buster arm was slung over it's shoulder.

They looked happy, lost each other's eyes...Unaware of the world around them.

It sickened him.

* * *

"So, where are you going?" Leviathan asked as she leaned onto her spear. She was cleansed of all dust, and she glowed with joy.

"I'm going to scout the resictance base, Draupadi is worried about the safety of some friends." Phantom spoke to his blue co-unit. A slight smile playing on his lips.

He had felt Master X's unending pain, his limitless sorrow and his powerful desire to die and yet the order that prevented him to act on it.

He had been there when Master X had made his plans, unable to stop him, for he also shared his desire for deletion.

Would the plan have work...and would Draupadi-Zero defeated Phantom as it was intended…

Master X would not have been alone.

Thankfully, with his...her returned memory, the red legend had destroyed that plan and...restored master X.

years of fighting, of loses and slavery had corrupted Master X heart. His red eyes had been a cry for help, and his culling order a plea for salvation…

It had worked...better then anticipated.

The red Ripper had healed him...Phantom, even after years of research about Zero and where their would be savior was hidden, hadn't found anything about the Red Ripper's healing powers. He was aware of the virus, and the fact that Zero could repair himself from any state of destruction if enough of the plague was around but other wise, this amazing self-repair only applied to him…

right?

Never the less… no mater what or who she was, Draupadi-Zero had taken care of Master X. even going as far as removing the pain chip, a major player in X's slow and methodical descent onto madness. And now, with this gone, his master was finally free.

And with this freedom...came a flood of bliss that would sometime make the serious one of the elite spontaneously burst into song...usually the Hare Krishna song.

Really, Phantom never knew he could feel something other then his master's despair and apathy over everything.

This morning events replayed in his internal player, to see Master X back lighted by the glorious sun as he reestablished himself as _the_ authority ruling over Neo-Arcadia had been both aw inducing and a relief to the assassins.

He knew that those at the head of the human government were but a bunch of thieve holding too much power. And he knew all of them had their own agendas. But Phantom could not act without the sanction of his master.

Really, while X had enacted the reploid culling orders, it was the human councils that had hinted and even demanded that the synth be ousted from Neo-Arcadia. Citing how they had nothing to offer short of cheap labor…

They...sadly were not wrong. Neo-Arcadia was filled with two type of inhabitant, those who could reproduce and repopulate, and those who didn't.

The reploids were unneeded, they simply took the space and resources that should be allotted to humans so that they could expand and raise their young to eventually repopulate the planet.

The humans demands were...logical. Reploids were but machines, and only those equipped to do jobs humans couldn't and wouldn't would be kept around. The others would be humanly shorted.

Of course, Phantom was aware that the human part of shorted had been dropped by Harpuia and his dog.

For him, the act of following master X's order went above even the morality he was supposed to follow, and he had cited that those reploids were just machines with very good A.I. they were practically animals. And nobody made a fuss over slaughtered beast, especial if it meant the alpha specie could survive.

It had sickened Phantom...but he chose to remain silent, for he knew his words were weak and whatever actions he could perform to rectify this wrong would never have the intended result.

He was the quiet one, the one who listened and scrutinize. And the one who suffered in silence.

He knew it was wrong...and he knew Reploids had more with humans then animals...and even that felt wrong.

Human, Animals, reploids...even plants and insect had consciousness and emotions. Humans had the most, and reploids could show an amazing amount of empathy and affection to others. Same with animals. And Phantom had once befriended a moth…

that moth would always follow him, landing on the back of his head and staying there for hours. And, call him Crazy, but he had the feeling the insect had some emphati for him…

Nevertheless, the Assassin of the group was more aware of the world then most, even of those who lingered after death.

No machines, no Mechaniloid could leave a ghost behind...but reploids did.

Animals did too...

"Youshou." phantom addressed Leviathan as he finished his preparation for the long trek to the resistance base, willing to move away from those very grim thought. " What do you think about Draupadi-Zero?" He asked as he inspected his features. He had turned of the red LED in his eyes, making them dark blue instead and wore a red wig. A pair of fake breasts and the generic resistance outfit finished the look.

Oh, he could have used a jutsu...but Reploids eyes could see trough those illusions.

Leviathan sighed. "X is the luckiest man of the planet, I'm telling you." She spoke as she leaned onto her ever present spear. "She's hot, loving, sweet, dedicated and…" she sighed again. " Phan-phan...This...what I'm feeling for her. Is this what I feel or what master X feel?"

"Do you think her as a treat?" he asked, using this as an opportunity to calibrate his voice box so that it matched his target tones. "And does it really mater whether if it's you or our master who feels like this about his wife?"

Once again, leviathan gave a sigh. "No...And no, Di-Zi has nothing to hide, and as long as we don't look at master X the wrong way, she won't even bother. She's actually more interest in chanting the Hare-Krishna code and spread it to all."

"I see...and this code-"

"Master X is reciting it...and every time he does, He becomes happier. Especially if his Di-Zi's around."

Phantom could empathize…

Nevertheless, this was not for him. He knew his duty and his boundaries. He would rather his master be flooded with this very special bliss then he.

"Alright, I'm ready to leave." He turned to leviathan. "You watch over Master X and Draupadi-Zero while I'm out."

"Sir yes sir." Leviathan gave a lazy Salute, still floating on a cloud made of Master X unbridled affection for Draupadi-Zero.

It was as if the Blonde carrier of the Virus also held X's life. And with her back, his life returned.

' _But what are her ultimate goal.'_ Phantom wondered in the privacy of his mind. _'the red ripper can't possibly settle for a life a simple house wife, can't she? And this mantra she chanted, the marks on her body…'_ There was also the fact that she had managed to find the damn pain chip while crashed.

No, Draupadi-Zero had not been conscious at all during this nerve racking event. All of her light were off, and he could feel no power coursing trough her powerful legs.

Oh, Phantom knew how to power trough the terrible pain and and his master were subjected to at the mere thought of disobedience to so called humans. A boon when it came to protect his dear master. It also meant that he was privy to thing most could not see. Like Draupadi-Zero being controlled by something bigger then...bigger then Mother-Elf at her sanest.

He got onto his land rider, his destination; a small bunker in the most insignificant sand dune. It would take him four days of constant driving before he could reach the designated spot. There, he would contact Cardinal and Alouette, and were she still Loyal to Neo-Arcadia, extract her and whomever Draupadi-Zero desired.

For she was the queen, and unless and until her act would put Neo-Arcadia and Master X in true danger, then he would serve her.

But the Shinobi, simply knew, from his extensive perusal of ancient records that Draupadi-Zero would rather die then bring X to harms way.

In Phantom's opinion, Zero was the true guardien of master X. For him, it was clear...and even the ghost of her past confirmed it.

Here walking bare-footed, exposing the vital and delicate construct to all in the tower had nothing to do with it...no at all.

Leaving this distracting thought behind, Hidden Phantom drove out of the garage, hopping that Cardinal's radio silence was not the symptom of something more sinister.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm writing more then what my payed language tool can deal with...meaning my gramar is worst then usualual...  
> Great...just great.
> 
> also...sorry to ask, but for those who are able and willing, I'm about to start recording the audio drama and commentary of the Karuna-Virus and I...  
> I need fan art... like...one art per chapter.
> 
> No, I can't do it myself, I'm way to busy with my temple service, writing and whatever else is needed for my Krishna's pleasure.
> 
> I would be much obliged...not I that I can repay any of you...or maybe I could...
> 
> (Meep like fluttershy.)


	11. cooling pond

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the retainer has returned, but the birds have left their nest. plans are made, and a Naeade opens her heart.

' _Here we are...the resistance base.'_ Phantom thought as he peered at the darkened building in the middle of the desert through a pair of binocular. He could perceive no activities, and no guards were at the gates. _'Hmm...not good.'_ Worst still, Cardinal's radio was still off...

This...did not bode well, at all.

Unwilling to leave his mission half-finished, and anxious to know the fate of those who had taken refuge in Ciel...and Draupadi. the cyber-Shinobi sneaked in, using the cover of the night as the best of Camouflage...and a limp as an excuse.

The closer he came to the refugee camp, the deeper his heart sank.

He could see no trace of life...and his audios were met with complete silence. _'Maybe...Oh, I hope I made a mistake and they are all hiding.'_ This would be the best-case scenario.

He began to chant under his breath, Draupadi-Zero's success in recovering Master X was nothing short of a miracle, and she kept praying to the Lord.

Maybe...just maybe he would also have this success?

"Hare Krishna, Hera Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare..." He began to recite as he walked through the deserted gate...even the security cameras were off. "Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare..."

He, dropped his limp and entered the eerily empty compound, some rats were scurrying here and there, but he could catch no sign of any birds or their sky.

The more he scouted, the deeper his heart sank. The resistance had left the base, taking with them whatever resources they could.

All water was gone, as were the E-crystals and weapons. And no Cyber-elves remained. No lights were working, due to the lack of generators.

Then...Phantom felt it, the Zero Virus.

Usually, this would mean the end of the world. But now... _'is somebody still here?'_ He hoped as he ran down the hall where the warning was at its loudest.

He threw the door open...it was a medical-shop.

' _Is this how...how did they even managed to fix anything? Most of the equipment here are obsolete!'_ Phantom realized with sheer wonder as he inspected every door and tools left behind.

The Warning came from an exceedingly old medical grade computer. Phantom wasted no time to comb trough his directory as to see _why_ this particular museum piece was hot.

After looking through the medical log for the last two weeks, he finally found those that belong to one DWN-∞- (0000).

the earlier test showed nothing wrong but some slight damage. But the first one really caught Phantom by surprise.

Zero...had suffered a severe heat-crash. Sever enough that he...they went through a hard reset.

Usually, a hard reset was automatically performed in case of a fatal hardware failure...software too.

In both cases, the rate of success was abysmally low. Not unlike how a dying newborn would revive themselves until their brain was to damage to reset.

An from what he saw...Zero's hard reset should've been his last act. For, while it was expertly hidden in a mire of senseless codes, Zero's creator had included a very nasty Kill-Switch.

To most eyes, it would appear as two memory-related programs glitching on one another. But in truth...

" _Draupadi should not be_ _online_ _..."_ Came the chilling conclusion.

Phantom did not even dared to even think what would've been the result.

He looked at the chat-Log, and chuckled at how disjointed the Red-Riper had been. He also took note of how...pious it sounded.

God...Krishna...Not this body...

Creator Wily...always female.

God Worshipper.

He saved it for further scrutiny. If Draupadi-Zero were to stay with Master X, the Shinobi wanted to know as much as he could about her.

Suddenly, his Audio picked up some vibration...Phantom was to far to make it out, but the rhythm in which it was recited was somewhat familiar.

He saved all of Draupadi-Zero's medical records and followed his ears, making sure his disguise didn't glitch as he approached the source of the sound.

Eventually, as he entered the dormitory, now so closed, Phantom could easily make out what he'd been hearing.

It was a reploid that sounded like an old man...

"Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna...Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare... Hare Rama, Hare Rama...Rama Rama, Hare Hare...' He sang gently, the sound from his voice chip surprisingly pleasant to Phantom's audio.

It was the same Mantra, the same code Draupadi-Zero had sent master X, it was the same prayer his Master would sing...it was the same song and the same melody the oldest androids in creation had sung a little over a week ago after the debacle had come to an end.

It was the melody and the Mantra that had saved Master X and himself.

His core fluttered, maybe his mission would be such a failure after all.

He approached the door where the mantra resounded the loudest and paused, taking stock of what had been etched on this particular door.

Wench, Whore, Mech-meat, Click-bait. Cross-consol, open code... Back-door, open-source.

X's open port bitch.

' _Ah, this must be Zero's room.'_ Really, it was so clear, putting a name on the door would make it redundant.

He...knocked on it, hopping he didn't have to enter a code.

During the last week or so, his communication with Cardinal had trickled to mere reports. The generic model would usually add tidbits of useless information like the name of a plush cat and Ciel's energy consumption. But now...he would be hard press to know the password for the front gate.

Also, why would Ciel sweeten her 'coffee' with E-crystals? The girl may be a genius, but this was beyond stupid. So Phantom had filed that under the rumour folder.

The 'old man' stopped chanting, and he walked to the door, opening it manually.

Phantom took stock of the reploid. He looked the same as a balding old man for some reason, also had the same tremors one would be afflicted with old age.

Or his energetic reserves were too low.

"Oh? Cardinal, what are you doing here?" He asked in the most grandfatherly tone possible. "I thought you left with the rest? Please, please come in and tell me what happened dear, old Andrew will try to find some full E-crystals for you." He gently pulled Phantom in, it was at the time the Shinobi realized he had no idea what had just happened.

It was rather upsetting, to say the least.

"So...how did you manage to escape Egrets custody dear? And did...why is little Alouette not with you?" He asked with plenty of dread.

Usually, Phantom could lie his way out of any situation, but now...he didn't have enough information to even maintain his disguise.

Andrew looked at Phantom from under his bushy grey brows. Running his hand up and down his beard.

"You...are not our Cardi, are you?"

He dropped his disguise. "No sir...I'm Hidden Phantom of the Cutting shadow squadron." He lowered his head...

Usually, having his cover blown meant that the one who made the discovery was as good a dead.

But this...this was not a usual mission. He was not here as an enemy and Andrew was one of the reploid whom Draupadi had tasked phantom to check on.

He looked...fine, despite his apparent age...and lack of energy.

Andrew kept looking at Phantom, holding what seemed to be shards of E-crystal. He didn't seem disturbed by the fact that the foremost assassin of Neo-Arcadia was standing right in front of him.

His face fell. "Ah...I thought so. Egrets really did took them all with him." He regretfully spoke as he went and sat in the sole folding chair in the room.

"Can you tell me what happened here?" He asked the rather calm and composed reploid. "Why is this place deserted, and why are you the sole one present."

Andrew looked at the dark reploid from under his eyebrows. "I'm surprised you do not know, Assassin. Don't you have a double agent in our midst?"

"Yes...but I'm afraid she may have defected to Ciel's side." He stated as he sat down...

This was not an enemy, and something in his heart told him he was safe to trust.

Andrew chuckled as he shook his head. "Ah...this is where you are wrong, oh Phantom. Cardinal did not defect to either Ciel or Elpizo's side...she, like me and all of us, have defected to Alouette and Draupadi's side."

"Please elaborate." Phantom asked as he preemptively files this conversation in,' vital'.

"Yes...of course. Are you sure you do not want anything? Water? Some scraps?"

"No, I was fully fuelled when I left Neo-Arcadia." which was four days ago... and if he were to trust Cardinal's last report, it had only taken Draupadi-Zero eight hour to reach the last bastion...on foot.

How did Draupadi manage to reach Neo-Arcadia so quickly, this question had baffle everyone.

"Ah...I see. Good, I don't have much resources anyway." Andrew fell silent as he gathered his thoughts. "So...Where were we? Right... there was three factions that formed in the resistance after dear Draupadi's miraculous revival. The first one being us, her followers and disciples."

Phantom's memory flashed back at the marking on Draupadi's body, the lustre of her frame, and the divine atmosphere she seemed to generate. Add to that the Mantra, he prayerful attitude...and the fact that she had clearly been possessed by something much greater then anything ever recorded.

So for her to have disciples...

Nope, Phantom was not even surprised by that.

"Now...I don't believe Draupadi-Zero is aware of how we see her."

"How do you see her?"

"As a teacher, a Prophet of Sri-Sri Radha-Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead."

Phantom stared.

"God, basically."

"God." the dark assassin repeated. "Like...this old man sitting on his throne up in the cloud surrounded by angels and ready to smith all sinners and delinquent?" He clarified.

Everyone knew it was a man-made idea to give the mass a false sense of reassurance about how the cold and heartless universe was not about to kill them and about how there was life after death when really, everything was void.

And what to speak of religion, just an institution busy whitening the population and draining all resources with a few fancy words and false healing.

"No." Andrew's voice grew sharp and cold. "What you explained to me is all man-made and fallible. Draupadi wrote in her note that those types of religions are called Cheating religion. What Draupadi-Zero gave is the real, eternal and pure religion, the _Swa-Dharma_ ; the eternal, constitutional nature of the soul."

"And what is this nature?" Phantom asked. A little surprise that he would have a philosophical debate with an old man in the middle of an abandoned base.

"Eternity, Consciousness and bliss. And our eternal role, our eternal active nature is to serve God, Krishna, with love."

"God...wait, what?" Phantom sputtered. When did love become a part of the conversation?

"Ah yes, I went a bit too fast now, didn't I?" Andrew chuckled as a mischievous glint entered his eyes. "So God is not an old man, but an eternal youth between fifteen and sixteen. He's all the shades of blue, but for those whom he is the summum-bonnum of all mellows, he is dark-blue like the night sky. He is the source of the human form of life, with two arms and two legs ending with lotus-like feet."

Phantom stared owlishly at Andrew, he'd never heard feet being described as such, and he was one of the most active lurker in this one particular forum.

Once again, Andrew chuckled. "Ah yes...Krishna's the source of all beauty and bliss, and his two beautiful and delicate feet are likened to a pair of blue and red lotuses. They are soft and delicate, His toes resemble lotus petals and his nails ten dancing full moon. His soles are as red as the dawn, the contrast between his night like hue of his skin and the dawn of his sole takes away all miseries." the old reploid exulted.

"Oh..." Phantom grunted, his eyes wide and his mouth agape. Picturing the sight...

Wow!

Who would've thought...who would've thought he would hear such poetic description of his favourite and most worshipable part of anyone's anatomy. Of God's feet...

God. Krishna had beautiful feet... This was a religion Phantom wouldn't mind joining.

"Those feet." Andrew continued, fully absorbed in his narrations. "Are decorated with nineteen auspicious symbols, on the left foot, the half-moon, water-pot, triangle, bow, sky, cow's hoof-print, fish, conch, and on the right foot, the eight-pointed star, svastika, wheel, parasol, barley-corn, elephant-goad, flag, thunderbolt, jambu fruit, urdhva-rekha, and lotus."

"Do you have a picture?" phantom asked, forgetting the reason why he was here.

No, this was not usual for the ever-so professional spy-master of the emperor of Neo-Arcadia. But he had a thing for feet...

Funny how the mind function faced with the object of one's desired pleasure.

But at those words, Andrew's face turned sombre. "No...Unfortunately, all holy scripture, picture, audio content and ancient videos are in Alouette's hard drive."

This brought Phantom back to reality better than in Master X had personally kicked him in the back of the head...and maybe he did.

"And where is Alouette right now? And everyone?"

Old Andrew forlornly gazed at the assassin from under his well-crafted eyebrows. "Ah...two days ago. Egret...move the entire base to another location. but I was suffering from a crash myself...our Draupadi's files are not meant for normal reploids, and I have no idea how little Alouette managed to carry everything in her little memory..."

"When my disk was defragmented and I finally woke up, to day's later...I was all alone." he regretfully informed the assassin. "I looked all over the place, the only thing I managed to found was a USB key with Alouette's last message to Zero."

Phantom didn;t like this at all. "DO you know what this message contain?" he asked.

"No, I don't look at messages meant for others. especially to our great teacher." He got up from his chair, surprising Phantom at how fluid his movement was. "Now...you probably came he to see how many mavericks are left, didn't you"

"No sir, Draupadi-Zero sent me to recover you and whomever was still favourable to her."

Andrews eyes grew big, then his entire frame began to shake.

Phantom quickly got to his feet, steadying the so-called old man. "Mister Andrew."

"The Lord...The Lord heard our prayers..." Andrew sobbed. "But he saved this useless old fool...oh Krishna...Why did you save me? I'm but an old codger...where are they? where are they?" He held onto the taller reploid. "Oh, My Lord...Oh Krishna...Krishna!"

* * *

After he and Andrew were transponded away (it still took four days to get to a close enough location to do that.) from the abandoned base, the Assassin immediately contacted Draupadi-Zero and Master X. They were now in Master's X's office, right under the evening sky.

"I see." The maverick queen nodded. "So...we have another problem on our hands then."

"Egret always was a bit of a...what's the words...no, not a visionary, that your husband...ah, A conspiracy theorist," Andrew spoke for a chair, he was dusty, in need of a good recharge and _actual_ E-crystals. Not mere scrapes.

Draupadi made a face, she absolutely hated those. Even those who were right. _'The only good conspiracy theorist was our Srila Prabhupada.'_ Those other would be overly fanatic and would let those ugly relative truth completely control their life...

She shook this thought off. "And you have no idea where he could have gone and...what could've happened to my friends and Ciel?"

Andrew shook his head. "No...once again, i was...off for two days. The only thing I can say for sure is that it's even further then Neo-Arcadia..." He grunted. "I'm worried for miss Ciel. Being so far from Neo-Arcadia mean that they won't have any medicine and food she could eat. And as for Alouette." his wizened faced darken. "Egret is a very practical man, if he see's something as useless..."

"He Bhagavan!" Draupadi folded her palms as she prayed for the Lord to protect this very special soul. Now regretting her decision to have left her in this terrible situation.

She could only hope for the Lord's protection, being ultimately useless at tracking something in sand.

"He...had already killed all the reploids suffering from desperation..."

"He must've taken their bodies. I could only find some briken limbs." Phantom muttered darkly. Then his expression changed to deep guilt.

Beside him, Leviathan shared the same feeling while Fefnir did everything in his power not to look at either Draupadi-Zero or Master X. Harpuia's countenance remained carved in stone, but it was clear he was fuming, still wrapped up in his pride.

"Let me guess." the blue bomber, sitting at his desk began, leaning his chin and lips to his crossing fingers. "All of you did the same thing."

Leviathan lowered her gaze, looking dully chastised. Phantom braced himself for his due punishment and Fefnir rubbed the back of his head, looking like a child about to be heavily scolded.

X sighed as he massaged his nose.

"Master X." Harpuia began. "Your orders were to cull those reploids unneeded to Neo-Arcadia-"

"I did,"

"We were merely following your orders Master. And the result was as you predicted." the green sky general spoke proudly. "We managed to recuperate numerous-."

"I don't want to hear it." X interrupted his second in command. "I've made a mistake-"

"Master!"

"And I'm planning on how to fix it with the least amount of causality this time." X spoke tiredly, like the weight of the world rested on his all too narrow shoulders.

Draupadi, who stood by his left side, let her right hand rest on one of those shoulders. "Don't worry X, I'm here."

X grabbed her hand and gave it a grateful squeeze.

"SO if I resume the situation we're in right now, I'm free of my madness but not before causing a terrible amount of damage. My four copies did nothing to stop it and now I have the reploid and human population hating me for it." he gave a wry smile. " Meaning this one plan of mine failed successfully."

"Not only that, but we have yet another reploid who own a small army of civilian grade who also want me and all humans dead and they have Ciel, the greatest Genius since Doctor Light." X stated...and were he not in a position of power, he would shamelessly flop down on his desk. "This... won't end well."

Draupadi snorted. "Excuse me, but Wily's legacy still lives on. No matter what she does, I will destroy it."

"I tough you were non-violent now," X asked his wife.

" I'm not a Buddhist, I'm a Vaishnavi. None-violent dosen;t mean you do nothing." Draupadi huffed. "It means to protect those who are weaker from death, suffering and injustice by protecting their bodies, and by giving them Krishna-Consciousness." She explained.

"Ah...I see." X nodded. "So, I know that problem won't really matter then." he dismissed.

Draupadi crossed her arms with a smirk. "Nope!"

"Master X." leviathan ventured. "Do we...what will be our punishment?" she shyly asked.

"None. You were only following my command without question, I have no right to punish you for doing your duty."

there was a collective venting.

"But...reparations will have to be given to whomever was affected by my madness."

"meaning well over 3,392 reploids, and the field they worked in...and those they worked with." Phantom counted off from memory, having kept count of the needless slaughter.

X lowered his head. "Yes...I will start with officially cancelling the culling order and public apologies."

"It won't be enough." Andrew spoke from his rocking chair, a gift of the Master of Neo-Arcadia to the old build.

"What else am I supposed to do?" X asked helplessly. "I can't revive any of them, and while their frame can be rebuilt to perfection, I can'st force those souls to return. And no...killing myself of entering self-exile will just make things worst, I just know it."

"The concentration camp is still filled with Ghost," Draupadi interjected.

"How is that supposed to make me feel better?" X pointedly ask.

"I'll chant Hare Krishna for them and the Holy names of Nityananda-Gauranga, if I can recite them purely enough, they should Vaikuntha at the minimum..." She humbly stated.

Andrew chuckled and X (and all of his copies) queried the Maverick Queen with their eyes.

"It's the second-lowest level of the spiritual world. It's free from birth and death and God, Vishnu is worshipped with aw and reverence." Draupadi explained as if she was giving her report on a location. "The best and highest is the Lotus of Goloka Vrindavana and Navadwip.."

Harpuia sneered. "Oh? Really? I never tough the great Zero was into Hindu Mysticism." He hissed despite the presence of his master. "Your software must've got corrupted worst then previously thought."

Draupadi shrugged. " Well...I never thought my husband would turn maverick...I think he did a good job despite that, to be honest." she praised as she pat her sweetheart on the back. "The human population is thriving, all have the food they required and everyone has free medical care. It just need a care system for reploid, a better educational system for both reploids and humans and a few Krishna temples and everything would be perfect."

X turned to her. "Draupadi...is this supposed to make me feel better?"

"Well...a reverse maverick. Save the humans. Kill the synth." then a look came to her. "You know...I'm surprised humans didn't kill the first generation after I accidentally turned them rogue."

"By then, Reploids and Mechaniloid were an integral part of society...and no one wanted to return to how it was before," X informed his wife.

"Even if it would've make those blue collars having jobs again." Draupadi sadly shook her head. "lazy fools, enslave one to starve the other." she sneered.

X sighed. And Draupadi rubbed his shoulder. "It's alright...there's nothing you could've done anyway. It's-"

"In the past and the past cannot be change...I can only try to make a brighter future." X recited hisother mantra. "And for this...God needs to be involved."

"Hey see! Your learning quickly!" Draupadi-Zero praised. An X answered with an uneasy smile.

"So...now what?" Leviathan asked as she almost casually leaned onto her spear. This was not the meeting she was used to. Sure the subject matter was grave, but the whole room was relaxed and bright.

"We apologies and try to restore Neo-Arcadia as it was four years ago...and assist my Draupadi in her mission to spread Krishna-Consciousness." X gently declared with steeple fingers.

"Master X, with all due respect-"

"This is what we'll to Sage Harpuia, and you have no say in it." X mildly snapped. Then, he gave a helpless shrugged. "I'm willing to try anything at this point... Since following mere logic has failed me time and time again."

"Yes, and I'm sure mystical Zero knows some magical" the green sky general waved his fingers about. "incantation to have this impossible become a reality." he crossed his arms over his chest, still trying to burn Draupadi were she stood. " Sure, let her brainwash the rest of earth's population, maybe then, with everyone no better than a lunatic, peace will be achievable."

"Harpuia!" X warned. But the green and off-white General was not done with his diatribe.

"Why don't we let her do a rain dance outside in the middle of Signa's square while we're at it. Maybe, just maybe she'll make my rainmaker useless by gyrating on an overturned tub."

A dangerous glint appeared in X's eyes as he tried to get up, he was about to run Harpuia through the sword of his words when Draupadi prevented him.

The last thing she wanted was to start yet another war.

"Well, if you give me permission, I can do what you just told me, General Harpuia. And yes, it would attract the rain also," she stated as if she was reporting to a superior.

Harpuia (and all the generals.) stared owlishly at Draupadi. Then the lord of the sky turned to X. "I would not listen to Zero...they...She's clearly not in her right mind if she made you believe in this impossible fantasy." He sneered. "Everyone knows that this is not possible...She should not be so close to you, my lord. Not if she's leading you to a so-called utopia."

"Well...in my madness, I attempted to bring my Zero back by giving her a reason to kill me." X smiled. "and if a remember well, you and Leviathan were against the idea, telling me that nothing in the wold could bring him back.." he turned to Draupadi-Zero, his glance meaningful and filled with mirth and unabashed devotion. "I think the result speaks for itself, don't you think?" he gave a rare and...quite nasty smile toward his second in command.

At that moment, it seemed Harpuia may have swallowed some of his pride and was now realising how disgusting it was.

[Well...I'm still not happy with the thousands of Reploid who perished, but I'm nonetheless moved.] She conveid to him via radio. [ Also, you better keep your promises about helping spread the Holy teachings of the Lord and His Holy-names.]

[My Zaki...whatever you ask, I will give.]

[You promise?]

[Yes...I already gave you my heart and my life... do as you will with me.]

A shiver went up Draupadi's spinal tube. [Chant Hare-Krishna, Help me spread the glories and mercy of Sri-Krishna, the supreme personality of Godhead, and for the love of the ever sweet couple, don't you ever _think_ of doing something so stupid.]

On his rocking chair, Andrew chuckled, muttering something about how, indeed, the life of thousand of Reploid for Draupadi Devi dasi was quite the deal.

* * *

days passed, and still nothing from The resistance and Alouette. Not even the double agent could be contacted.

It was now a retrieval mission...And Fefnir was in charge, as with his second in command, Necromancess...quite an interesting person, to be honest. And still very much confused as to how she should act toward Draupadi. Still...it had been a week now, and they had yet to find anything of value.

Draupadi surrendered to the fact that Krishna had a better plan for the young blond reploid. A plan that didn't involve the two blond Vaishnavi to be in communication.

Draupadi had listened to her dear friend's message. Alouette had apologized for her bratiness and prayed that Lord Krishna would keep Draupadi safe while she terrorized Neo-Arcadia straight back to God.

Well...at the point the world was at, it was a very valid option. For the Acharia had said 'By hook or by crook, give them a book.' and that, eventually, the preachers would have to hold people at gunpoint to make them chant the holy names.

But Srila-Prabupada had also emphasized good behaviour and how charming the demons of Kali-Yuga back to the Bright side was better and less harmful in the long run then using force. And this tactic, to attract with love, humility and beauty of character had worked amazingly well...until world war three ravaged the earth.

Still...it could work. Both options were viable and Draupadi would choose the one that would fit the time, place and the circumstances.

But back to Alouette's message.

The little reploid had recorded to Draupadi how there were actually more devoted reploids now, having turned their back to Elipzo and growing disabused with Ciel. And thus, they had taken shelter of God and Draupadi.

Alouette was still chanting Hare Krishna and was still trying to get those scriptures out. But with how they were heavily encrypted, and how Elpizo had confiscated all piece of none-essential hardware. It would take forever and a half to have them out.

She did managed to make copies of Draupadi's numerous notes...but those took time to type, and Bluetooth sharing was a very risky affair nowadays.

This worried Draupadi, while Ciel had been at the helm of the resistance, she had been more about maintenance, defence and solidification, not for offensive.

At least...until she woke her up...

Now... with Bakasura having taken control of the guerrilla, he was turning the once peaceful village-like structure into a military base. And he didn't even bother hiding his goal.

To kill her, Kill X, take over Neo-Arcadia by force and... Kill all humans since that was what Mavericks would do.

' _I won't allow it... I may have no idea where he is, but Neo-Arcadia has become the new cradle for Vaishnava culture...'_ But she would not hunt Elpizo.

No need, when he would come to her with his entire army...just like how Krishna tricked Jarasandra and oodles of Demons weighing down mother Bhumi to attack Mathura eighteen times.

Krishna killed them all but Jaransada. fort eh fool kept attacking Him in the hope of an impossible victory. all of his friends and ally were demons, the worst of the worst...

he just made God's cleanup easier.

But now Alouette, this most fortunate of soul was in a dangerous situation and in an unknown location. Draupadi had no meant to contact her, since, from what Alouette had conveyed, Elpizo had commissioned Ciel to make a radio-jammer.

It worked, and right now...well, the week prior the machine had been turned on, and no matter what Alouette did, she could not find a good enough reason so that she may contact Draupadi through the Relay...

" _Thank you Draupadi, You gave me_ _hope...a real, eternal goal or life. I know things didn;t work the way I wanted, but it's by Krishna's will since, like you and Prabhupada sai_ _d_ _, not a blade of grass move without his sanction_ _...plenty of other Reploid's and cyber-e_ _lves_ _are chanting Hare-Krishna_ _too_ _. We could be more but...I don't want Egret to find us out since...he hates you."_ The recording Continue, and Draupadi's Bhakti softened heart lurched in its mechanical box. _"I...I'm sorry Draupadi...I miss you."_

' _I miss you too Alouette.'_

" _I'm a bit scared, but I know...Krishna will help us out if Egret get too crazy. And one day...one day we'll see each other and we can chant and dance together like Prabhupada wanted."_ Alouette's vice choked. "And we can...we can share the holy names with everyone and ...and..."the little girl abruptly stopped. Then she resumed. _"Listen, we have to leave the base. If you find this message...Thank you for everything Draupadi. I...See you soon. By Krishna's will."_

this was the content of the message. Nothing more could be learned from it except that it confirmed Draupadi's second greatest fear.

It was the eleventh time Draupadi had listened to it tonight, unable to shut her CPU off.

This had been what she had been doing when not typing the scriptures down, chanting the holy names with X, teaching her husband about the sublime process of Bhakti-Yoga and regaling her blue bomber with the tales of all the crazy stunt Archa-Vigraha, also know as Axl, had managed to pull off against Bharath. Most of them ending with the funny brahmachari and dear friend cleaning up his mess he and Draupadi's brother had caused.

And the time Draupadi had helped with the prank, the mock fighting, her Guru-Ma's love and care, Vasudeva-Prabhu's council...

She missed them...she missed them all.

She felt an arm sneak around her mid-section, and the lips of her Prabhu on the nape of her neck. "Zaki... Are you still listening to Alouette's message?"

Draupadi sighed. "Yes..."

"You worried about her," he spoke as he held his wife close, Moulding his body to her's.

"I worry about all of them...but I worry about my little Alouette the most," Draupadi admitted as she reached for X's hand, the one that had gravitated toward her face, cupping her cheek tenderly.

"you know...From the moment I woke up without memory. It's like she knew I needed a friend. And she just... she just walked in my room and hugged me, telling me how everything would be fine and how, whoever I was, she would...she would love me anyway."Draupadi managed to choke out. Fighting against her tears.

Those had been X's words the first time they met. Was it a wonder that she and the small reploid had clicked do quickly?

"When I would get damage and had to remain at Cerveaus Medical ward, Alouette and Socrat would be there. She would try to help...just because she wanted to be close to me... and at night, when she couln;t sleep, she would come to my room and would ask me for a story."

"You? Telling stories?" X asked, surprised to hear that Zero, of all persons, would attract a child... reploid or not.

Draupadi chuckled fondly. " I would tell her stories about this little price who met an four armed alien...and how he reached the pole stars." she paused... "Oh Krishna!"

"Zaki?"

"I told her the Story of Druva Maharaja and how he met God." A smile split her lips. "Alouette loved this story so much, little Druva had such a strong determination...it only took him six months to become self realized... He was five at the time." She closed her eyes... she could remember Alouette's question about who Vishnu was and why and How Druva's austerity caused the universe to suffocate.

He had no clue back then...but now she knew a little bit more. For she was holding the entire Srimad-Bhagavatam in her computerized body...and she had heard this piece of history countless times.

She heard and felt X hum as he snuggled her closer. "I thought you only had space for me in your heart." He mumbled against her neck. "Glad to see that your heart got bigger Zee." he punctuated this statement with a kiss.

"Thought you'd be jealous." Draupadi playfully shot back.

"Why? Why should I be jealous?" X asked as he cuddled his wife closer.

"Because I'm not just yours anymore. I...I gave myself to Krishna." She admited.

"So you belong to God now."

"I do..." no use to hide it.

"Does it make you happy?" He asked again, the smile in his voice undeniable.

"Yes, it does." And even if given the chance to fix all he mistakes, she would never change the past, not even for a possibility of a better present.

"So why should I be mad?" She felt X smiled from the back of her neck. "Zaki...I've never seen you so happy...and this, I've never felt this happy also."

A grateful smile light her lips... _'Krishna, I have no idea what I previously did to get such an amazing husband in my life...X's your causeless mercy, isn't he?'_ She asked the supreme controller and enjoyer.

Sill, this didn;t erase the fact that Alouette and the rest of Krishna's new Bhatka's were in a very precarious situation.

"Hey...Zaki. It's alright." X murmured in her audio receptor. "Just keep chanting Hare Krishna...just like you told me. Krishna will take care of it."

Draupadi gave a breathy laugh..."I don't deserve you." she twisted her head around like an owl so she could plant a sweet kiss on her husbands lips. Then after resetting her neck position, she playfully wrestled him for the right to break free of his tight embrace. The room was filled with light laughter, bright and bubbly, chasing away whatever fear and anxiety the couple may have had.

Oh, such difference from the wrung out and tired master of Neo-Arcadia. A persona that had yet to leave, but had less of a clutch onto her dear Echo.

Every morning since X's outburst, Draupadi had shown him how to chant the Maha-Mantra as a meditation. And he did...

He was chanting fifteen rounds every day and was chanting them with all of his attention, which is something Draupadi longed to do again. But her mind was always filled with worry for her new Bhakta's and a thousand of inconsequential things.

The result of X's recitation of the holy names was a clear improvement of his mood, bliss and a happiness that was starting to overtake his entire frame.

And that was just the beginning...For her real mission was just about to start.

They were together again...nothing could stop them. Especially with God backing them up.

Draupadi-Zero had the supreme reason to fight, an eternal mission to complete, and X by her side.

And X...had his Zero, his teacher...His island amid the hidden chaos of Neo-Arcadia.

Finally, Draupadi almost managed to break free from X's arms, she was standing beside the bed while the blue bomber was stubbornly holding her things, unwilling to let go.

" _Echo_! C'mon it's already three forty-five in the morning." She protested as she tried to remove his hands.

"Nooo! It's too early~" X playfully whined as he hugged her powerful thighs.

Yes, X was playful again... it came and went, but when it was there...it brightened Draupadi's days considerably.

The last time he had been this playful was when he was still under the loving care of doctor Cain...and also when they thought Sigma was gone for good after the first maverick uprising.

"No, it's not! C'mon, let me go! I don't wanna waste my time in bed, we have stuff to do." She informed him.

At the mention of his daily grind, X flopped down. "Right..." he sighed. " The public apology, it's today, isn't it?" he asked his dear wife.

"Yes..." she answered curtly, mentally preparing for the upcoming wind shower.

No matter how much she tried to convince herself, Draupadi still hated the thing with a passion only Sigma could generate.

She felt X's arms wrap around her shoulder as he gently laid a sweet little kiss on her cheek. "Come one, let's face the day."

And thus, after a six-hours of rest, the two oldest androids in exitance exited the room, there, the saw a very fluffy and somewhat discontent Andrew. Gone were the green dud, he now favoured the saffron cotton of a brahmachari.

"Hare Krishna Andrew Prabhu, how was your... 'shower'?" Draupadi asked cordially. Careful not to show how...not terrified but apprehensive she was of the terrible wind blower.

Andrew ran his hand the the ridiculous pom-pom he called a beard. He managed to put it back at its normal position...somewhat.

"The blower's broken...and it skipped on the anti-static."

X pressed his lips to a thin line, and Draupadi did the same.

Great.

"Oops I guess." and with that, the renounced man skipped away. "Oh...Before I forget, Leviathan want's to see you Draupadi, she doesn't take kindly to be ignored for so long." he added as an after thought.

If the wind tunnel had been her least favourite part of the day, dealing with Leviathan was something Draupadi dreaded more.

X opened his mouth, then he touched the right side of his head. He had a call.

"Yes, Camera. Yes...yes, it's at ten...what? Come on can it wait?" He helplessly asked. Then his face fell. "Alright, I'll be there..."

"Camera?" Draupadi asked.

"Yes, he's the one in charge of the broadcast," X explained as he rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Bad news?"

"No...he just wants to make sure I don't look green on screen...and he wants to do some test and whatnot." the blue bomber sighed. "Listen...if Leviathan does something you'rr against, you have my permission to use as much force as necessary."

"I'll deal with her with how I see fit...but thank you for the permission," she gave her husband a bright smile. A smile he readily returned.

' _Krishna...I never expected you to give me back my husband but...you did. I deserve less than that. Oh my lord...I...thank you...thank you so much.'_ She prayed in sincere gratitude.

Krishna was the supreme controller, the master of the countless universes. Every single atom would dance at the sound of his Bansuri and Venu...

And the Lord...the Lord had saved X from himself, using Draupadi as His instrument.

A shudder went through her frame... she could not even imagine what would've happened if Krishna had not intervened...

No, actually, Draupadi could. And it was a complete nightmare.

"Listen...I'll go and see what Leviathan want's...maybe the wind-cleaner will be fixed by then."She hopped not...but the idea of putting oil on the ice guardian's fire of passion was even less appealing.

"Alright...be careful."

"I will."

"I love you, Zaki."

"Love you too Echo."

And thus, the couple parted to deal with the day. Hoping nothing too crazy would happen and knowing that it may be too much to ask.

* * *

"Yes, Leviathan. You wanted to see me?" Draupadi spoke through the ice general intercom.

Leviathan's room was situated at the lowest level of the residential quarter, in an underground complex with five level of security...it was actually an entire floor.

And as expected, it was presently cool and about as humid as an indoor swimming pool, and Draupadi's audio could easily catch the soothing sound of water.

It immediately reminded her of the Cyber-Ganga and Yamuna, the virtual reality version of the world's two most sacred rivers.

She heard scrambling, and Leviathan's heels striking the ground as she hurried to the door.

Draupadi gave herself permission to wrinkle her nose in disgust. It was clear Leviathan had no idea was she was trailing behind with those. _'But...maybe their integrated..."_ this could also be a possibility.

The door slid open, and Leviathan stood in the door frame...

Without her helmet, her resemblance with X was astonishing.

She had blue hair...ice blue hair...and her face seemed to have been somewhat modified but it was clear she was looking at X's copy.

For a moment, Draupadi wondered if X did not warp in Leviathan's room...but then...

Ice blue hair in a short bob...X hair was always a bit fluffy with some curls and the colour of black coffee.

Leviathan's hair laid flat on her head, and with how it framed her delicate face, it gave the impression that was still wearing a helmet.

It was...She was pretty. But definitely not as pretty as Sri-krishna.

The ice general grinned as she gazed a the blonde berserk, once again, reminding Draupadi of how her husband would look at her. Then she grabbed Draupadi by the wrist and pulled her in her room...and her arms.

Now, since this was not a battle situation and no aggressivity had been detected by her battle algorithm, Draupadi could only helplessly endure the embrace of Leviathan...the only two positive things was it's friendly nature and the fact the ice-general body was much colder than the ambient air, and the Vaishnavi's own frame.

This reminded her of a verse of the Jagannath Ashtakam describing how Sri-Jagannath Swami,Who's none other then Krishna, was eternally embracing Srimati-Radharani, who's body was as cooling as a pond.

"Oh my Gosh!" Leviathan exclaimed. "I can't believe your here!"

"you did requested my presence," Draupadi stated...she wanted out now.

Leviathan finally released her, still keeping her hands on the shorter Draupadi's shoulder, she had a huge grin on her face... "I know!"

Draupadi averted her eyes, mapping out the room.

It was a fairly simple decor and the lights were kept low to emphasis the dancing of the waves of Leviathan's oversized pool...

Obliviously, she could not stay on land and dry less she turns into the world's biggest dust bunny.

Draupadi decided to keep this mental picture...

the ice and water-based general grabbed Draupadi by the wrist and enthusiastically dragged the Vaishnavi to the poolside where she saw some cloth...a dress perhaps, soap and what was unmistakably a green silken ribbon and a towel.

"Leviathan...Is this."

"Yes! I heard from Freaky that you absolutely _hated_ the wind tunnel, not that I blame you." Leviathan stated as she pulled on Draupadi's hand-me-down robes. "So, my pool's now your pool! there you can bath, sink and...do whatever your kind do in the water, I have no objection!"

"Leviathan!" She exclaimed as she held onto the blue-robed. "Stop it! What's wrong with you?"

"What's wrong with me? A few things dear...but I'm not letting you bath in my pool with a dusty robe, and who bath's with clothes on anyway?"

The image of Draupadi's Guru bathing in the actual Ganga met Draupadi's mind eyes. It was from a photo album of her first trip of the ever sacred Navadwip.

The first time Sri-Isopanisada had seen the holy river, in her early twenties, she had jumped in it, clothes and all!

Her bright smile and muddy sari had said it all.

"Zero...Ah, Draupadi?" Leviathan waved a hand in front of the Vaishnavi's face. The blond android reset her eyes and sighed.

"So...bathing then. You...seriously called me from my husbands side just so I could wash with precious water?" she asked with a raise eyebrows.

"yes."

"why?" it made no sense as to why the flirty general wanted to do that...short of more flirting despite the fact that Draupadi was married to the king of this place ,and that their relationship had only gotten stronger after centuries of separation.

"I just wanted to thank you for saving master X and... and making him happy again," Leviathan explained as she managed to remove the heavy and indeed dusty robe from Draupadi's back. The servant of God too shocked to react. "It's my way to say thank you...for saving us all."

Leviathan sighed as she sat Draupadi down and began to open her braid, using her natural heat exchanging ability to sap plenty of heat from the world's most cumbersome sink. "Di-Zi...I've been serving X for decades...and he never had an actual smile, he never laughed...never cried." she began. "Me and my brother's...we're his copies.."

"Yes...figured as much," Draupadi mumbled, relaxing despite herself. "Who made your body anyway, it's looks and feel just like an original."

Leviathan chuckled. "Yes...that's because we are. Doctor Thomas Light made us all."

At this information, Draupadi turned to face the ice guardian, her mouth open as she tried to express a plethora of words, expletive and rebuke... "no...wait...but X was..."

"The only one Doctor Cain found," Leviathan explained as she repositioned Draupadi the way she wanted. "Yes...because half the lab was collapse and Cain didn't have enough finds or reason to excavate the rest...even after finding X." she began to comb her hair. "Master was never meant to be alone.

"He Bhagavan... My poor Xiu Ying..." The news was so painful to her. As far as she could remember X had always been looking for others like him...not reploids but Robot Master, always looking always seeking.

This was why He and Zero had immediately clicked...

But to know that Doctor light did not leave his last 'Son' to be alone...gave Draupadi some mixed feeling about him.

"Give or take two years ago, X...found and activated us all. But after so long...well, he had to copy some of his personality traits onto us. To me, he gave his playful attitude and the ice armour. To Fefnir he gave his fighting spirit his love for plants and the fire armour. To Harpuia, his pride, agility, lawfulness and loyalty...he gave him the ultimate armour for parts." Leviathan enumerated as she helped Draupadi to her feet after the golden heat sink was nice and cool.

Wordlessly, she helped Draupadi to pool, holding her hand as both went down the gentle slope. Carrying with her gentle soap and whatever else would be needed to help cleanse the red legend. "To Phantom...he gave whatever was left...and the shadow armour."

"Obliviously," Draupadi muttered as she put her head underwater, cycling the pure liquid through her system for deep cleaning.

She felt _centuries'_ worth of dust and grime leave her internal working.

[Oh my! Never thought you...ah...] Leviathan sounded surprised...and looked surprised too. And especially grossed out.

[Oh Krishna, that felt great! ] she spoke to herself. Finally, she could feel her nanite fixing whatever had been damaged and corroded now that her inside was sparkling clean. [The wind shower's only good for external purity, I want something deeper than that.] she informed the ice general as she emerged. "So...Basically, you X's...brothers and sisters?" She asked the only girl of the group.

"Not really a girl, you know...But yeah, I also inherited from his feminine side." Leviathan explained with a shrug...

"But to return to what I was saying...we all...We've all been trying to please X for as long as he brought us online" Leviathan's eyes feel as she held herself. "He gave us all task...and we tried...we tried to hard...But X never felt whole, he never felt happy...and we could all feel it."

"your connection." Draupadi deduced.

"Yes..." Leviathan confirmed. "It was so bad sometimes...none of us could move." Her voice choked. "We tried to help him shoulder the burden...but we ended crushed under his grief." a sob escaped her lips and Draupadi turned to face the water-based Robot Master.

Leviathan's lips were pressed together as she held her arms close to her body. She looked distraught.

"We failed...we all failed...we knew, X knew...X...what he did...it was a cry for help...our cry for help," she revealed as tears began to fall from her blue eyes despite her attempt to stop them. "We had enough...X had enough...Harpuia never accepted that, and instead channelled his frustration in fanaticism and sadism. He killed all those reploids because he couldn't kill the real enemy. That's what we all did..." she sobbed again. Burying her face in her hands. And this time, she could not keep them in check.

As she sobbed, Draupadi, her heart melted, held the last of the Light series in her arms, letting the mermaid-like 'robot' cry to her heart content. As she sobbed, Draupadi could perceive some words like...we failed...and, "he's so happy now' and... 'Thank you...'

By the end of it, Leviathan finally managed to regain some control over her emotions. She still held Draupadi...who, by now, understood how the blue general felt.

"Di-Zi...thank you...thank you so much for coming back to life. you...you save us...you save us all." Leviathan's held Draupadi's hands in hers, her eyes still moist from her tears of Gratitude.

"Oh, don't thank me...Thank Krishna and my Guru. They're the ones who reminded me of who I was...otherwise." X would be dead...they would all be dead by her hands.

Then Leviathan wrapped her arms around the mostly black reploid and kissed Draupadi on the junction between her lips and her cheek. breaking the Vaishnavi out of some very scary what if.

Draupadi stared at X's... let's call her a sister in disbelief.

It was but a mere peck...but with how Leviathan held to Draupadi's shoulder and how...in her personal space, she was. The Vaishnavi knew it was not innocent.

"Lev-"

"I know, I know...You're with X, he's your husband and all that." Leviathan bashfully averted her eyes. "Just...Just let me have this? Please?"

Draupadi sighed, she had run about a thousand scenarios, but only one course of risky action seemed to best. "Nothing more, alright?"

A hopeful smile light leviathan's face... and she embraced Draupadi the same way X would... moulding her body the shorter build.

It was then that Draupadi realized that X gave his family more than just his character trait.


	12. Lingering ambers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The flames have left their marks, the emperor is still suffering. The enemy will have to learn, for their home may be burned by the fire of sacrifice.

Karuna Virus, 12

Warning, some rather coarse language. Suicidal thought, mention of suicide attempts and a human getting badly hurt.

* * *

After the...very informative bath, Leviathan had given Draupadi some new clothes to cover herself with.

It was a red and bright green mini-skirt that fit particularly well with a new red top and a gorgeous ribbon.

It was still rather short, and Draupadi missed X's long robe, but this was what she had.

It was definitively better the wearing nothing.

Then after chanting for two hours and a half in Leviathan's presence, knowing that the Mantra would have a positive effect on...let's call her a new friend, Draupadi was off to face whatever challenge her destiny would throw at her.

But...not after yet another hug and another kiss from the amorous and hands-on guardian.

It felt weird and...not exactly appreciated for the Vaishnavi, but thankfully, Leviathan would not go further than the side of Draupadi's lips and her waist.

' _Good news, my systems are all_ _optimally_ _running, and I_ _finally_ _got to know what was the deal_ _with_ _the_ _guardians._ _.._ _not so good news, I now have a lady-lover.'_ She huffed as she wandered the great halls of the ivory tower. She could feel the need to be with her husband again...her friend in her heart warning her that she was needed.

But to be very honest, she didn't expect anything too melodramatic, just X giving his formal apologies and announcing his (partial) Sabbatical leave. And more writing.

The Vaishnavi could already feel her finger itching at the prospect of re-birthing the revealed scriptures; the glorious Bhagavad-Gita was almost ready to be published under the aegis of the Neo-arcadian government.

Yes, having a husband in so-called power really had its perks. X may be stepping down, but he still kept enough authority so that he may make his wife's divine mission a bit smoother. And not to let the mice destroy whatever good was left in Neo-Arcadia in the name of so-called progress.

As she entered the tele-pad and warped to the mediatic floor, Draupadi could not help but thank the Lord for her current situation. Sure, she had lost complete contact with the resistance and Alouette...and now had another reploid trying to pull a Sigma on her and Neo-Arcadia. But spreading the Krishna Consciousness movement again from her own Bhakti-creeper would be a bit easier...by Gaura's mercy.

Of Course, Draupadi had no illusions. Krishna may have removed some obstacles...but to rebirth and disseminate this divine knowledge would not be as easy as she hoped.

Especially after the four years, Neo-Arcadia had to endure.

It was for this reason that today, X would do one of his rare public appearances and addressee his citizen...to apologize.

An apology was better than him simply leaving the place for the Jackal's pleasure or simply staying on the throne without anything more than a very weak mea-culpa. They had spoken at length about it, and it was clear X leaving his post completely was not an option.

If X would be gone...Oh, they were still surrounded by demons wishing to make Neo-Arcadia reploid-free... and those reploids that wanted to make Neo-Arcadia human free.

But...if what she had read was true, most citizens actually saw reploids as...practically equals. And most demanded to cull to be stopped.

But none did anything to stop X... either out of fear or out of cowardice.

Still...what happened happened, there was nothing else to do but to rebuild things better. Meaning with Radha-Krishna at the centre. Draupadi was well aware that not many in the fortress city of Neo-Arcadia would be willing to give up their so-called pleasurable activities to worship Krishna, the reservoir of all pleasure, wanted to worship someone for material gain; her husband was not the one to go to.

He had enough to deal with already. He didn't need a long shopping list too.

X needed time for himself; he needed to focus on what was important and give himself time to heal and enjoy what the Lord had given him. Phantom would be the one steering the citadel toward political and social stability, for he was the oldest and the sanest among X's guardian. Still, X would be his pilot and the one who would give the last words on all depressions.

And Draupadi was there for emotional and spiritual support, nothing more.

Draupadi walked to the recording studio, still barefooted despite the pair of high heels provided by leviathan.

She never understood why those F-model made for fighting would always come equipped with those torture devices/ death trap/ liability. It made as much sense as Layer's armour...

She missed her second-best Navigator...

Nevertheless, she saw Fefnir talking to Phantom. The Assassin was the first to notice her, his eyes gaining a certain glint despite his stone-like face...and Fefnir the second.

"Whoa! You clean up nicely!" He said as he eyes the red legend appreciatively. His crooked grin and coal red eyes scanning her and every single stitch. " _da-hanm!"_

' _Oh, Krishna...'_ "Oh, just give me a mop and see what happens," Draupadi stated dryly, pulling at the skirt self-consciously. Now feeling even more exposed than when she wore nothing.

She... didn't like the length at all, but the Lord had provided her with a piece of cotton to cover herself. And it was not like she really needed clothing...Reploids didn't need it, and she had nothing to hide.

...She missed wearing her saris...

Under the gaze of the two guardians, she crossed her arms, trying to forget about the whole dress thing. "So...where's X?" she asked, anxious to know of his actual whereabouts.

"he's in the transmission room; Camera needed to re-calibrate his equipment." Phantom explained as he maintained eye contact with the heroin gold and red. "I thought I sent you a map of the Ivory tower."

"You did...I'm not used to a fortress having a map." She admitted...once again tugging at the overly short dress. "Let me guess; it makes him green?" Draupadi chuckled. "I go to sleep for a hundred years, and technology still hasn't advanced enough to not turn him into Quint." She crossed her arms.

Light had given X the ability to be 'whatever' he wanted, and this included the colour of his body and armour. Unfortunately, it meant that the Video recorders would translate his armour hue to either green or brown...

Like...this hideous shade of brown.

"Quint?" phantom asked with a tilt of his head and an assent of a brow.

"Oh...just some poor kid who got hit with bad luck." she waved it off, unwilling to let her mind linger on yet another atrocity of Wily. "Now...where's the recording room?"

Phantom, who was casually leaning on the wall, smirked. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"I would..." Draupadi deadpan. "I tried contacting my husband, but his radio's silence. And Krishna...Someone...my little finger told me he might be in trouble." she ended lamely, not even bothering to hide her concern.

"Radio silence?" Fefnir, who had moved behind Draupadi, broke out of his intent, scanning her bottom half. He looked somewhat worried. "Yo...why would-"

" He's fine..." Phantom tried to wave off whatever misgiving there may be. But he also seemed somewhat worried.

"Is Sage Harpuia with him? Leviathan?" Draupadi asked as she felt the deep and frankly unwelcome dread fill his being.

"No...Harpuia and Leviathan are out for patrol." Fefnir's stated, a certain type of edge having entered his voice. "He's fine...I'm sure he's fine...he's always fine."

"You don't sound so convinced." She observed already unzipping the underdress. As pretty as it was, she wanted to have all of her limbs as free to move as she could.

"No... me neither. Let's go." Phantom pushed himself away from the wall and broke into a run.

The trip had lasted a bit too long for Draupadi's liking...even when dashing at full speed, scaring whatever human employees happened to be in the corridor at the time.

They found the studio's location rather easily with the map. But when Phantom tried to open the door, the electronic lock did not even recognize him.

The Shinobi bit back a curse, a curse Fefnir roared as he was also denied entry.

Draupadi gently shoved them to the side and called to her internal data-cloud. She easily entered the door lock internal programming and unlocked it through a back door.

And as expected, the portal opened to the sound of many very human gasps.

Draupadi and Phantom dashed in, stopping the rats from sounding the alarm.

[Huh...good use of nanite Generated darkness Phantom.] Draupadi praised.

[Humph, It's not nanites... it's my natural armed phenomenon.] The Shinobi informed the legendary commander of the Zeroth Unit[...interesting use of the virus. Devi.] The assassin conceded.

[Thank you.] she sent him a smile as she carefully manoeuvred one man she had caught to where Fefnir was waiting. She had covered his mouth with his hands, with a silent promise that she would kill him would he make as much as a squeak.

...She also chanted the Maha-Mantra in his right ear...the poor soul was in sore need of it.

After that, all humans were nonlethaly taken out and given to Fefnir's care. The two mechanized Ninja slid in the dark studio, merging in the darkness.

While it was true that Draupadi's gems and body held a natural glow, she had her way to turn invisible and ghostly quiet.

It helped that Krishna, who is in the heart of all and the very atoms, ensured no security could catch her.

He was and always will be The Master of all senses; nothing was impossible for Him.

After some taut moment, they finally arrived at the main studio...Phantom and Draupadi jumped at the top of one of the sound stage rafter and, still keeping to the shadows, watch what was happening below them.

Down in the main recording Studio, X was seated upon a throne, his data crown back upon his head and his features doll-like and lifeless...there were two humans in the room; one was at a computer connected to her listless husband, typing at it furiously while the other was trying to fiddle with something behind X's back.

"for Light's sake, why isn't he connecting?" The guy behind X groused, jiggling the connectors. "It worked before. Why can't we plug in its mainframe now?"

"Beat me. I can't even make sense of his code; it's like he got return to how he was before Elispe overpowered him..."

"How he was, you mean before he came so hard with Elipse deep inside him, he went into a coma?" the raunchy man stated as he gave X a hit on his blue helmet. "Bitch here can't handle to be fucked...wonder how he and his old boyfriend managed to have some fun together."

Draupadi almost jumped out of her hiding place to kill the demon, daring to strike at her husband. Instead, she recorded everything.

Krishna told her it was the right thing to do. Still, she hated seeing her husband so helpless at the hands of the two Yavanas.

Phantom covered her hand with his; it was clear he agreed with the mechanized Vaishnavi.

Those two were as good as dead. But not after they got as much dirt on them as they could.

"Yeah...Basically, all of Ciel's patches and back doors have been removed." the computer tech informed his colleague...and the two reploids hiding in the rafters.

[So...this was Ciel's doing.] Draupadi sent to Phantom. [...what was she planning before God laughed at her plan?]

[You're asking me? That's the first time I hear about Master X's codes being tempered with.] Draupadi could hear Phantom clenching his fist and teeth. [Ciel...was Master X using her to suicide? Or was Ciel using him?] he wondered. [Can't believe she modded out master...]

[I knew...She doesn't code like D...Doctor Light.]

[And how do you know how the Legendary Doctor Light code? You were his assistant?] Hidden Phantom sarcastically asked.

[ No, I was one of his cleaner-bot. I know how he codes, and I know what's not original, so returning my Hubby to sanity was relatively easy...still had to pull patches for hours.] She informed the Shinobi. [Glad to know by Xiu Ying's back at being tamper-proof again.]

Once again, her journey in Uranet was still paying off. _'_ _Thank you, Krishna.'_

Sure there was the possibility that X would not be in this position would she have remained at his side...but the overall situation would've been worst. Of this, she was certain.

"So, what do we do 'bout Master Puppet. Can't give him back to his four goons like this..." the crude man spoke after giving up in fiddling with X. "Pr, maybe we can, it ain't like they can kill us, you know. And he's been repaired with the bits of that other one...you know, the copy." he spat. "Have no idea how Doctor Ciel managed to get X's original blueprint..."

"Told me she had a dream...but rebuilding X from scratch...It was theorized that only X's original maker could pull it off...obliviously, they didn't count on genome editing." the computer guy waved it off. "But no one could've gone in and tweaked his codes...I swear, not even Mikey could even decode X's codding language, and he was the top coder in Neo-Arcadia."

"Until Ciel walked out from Gen-tech, fresh from the womb with a view." The technician rolled his eyes and returned to fiddle with X, who was still unresponsive to his treatment.

"..oh no." The techy suddenly exclaimed as he practically squished his face against the screen of his PC.

" What?" the bastard asked, letting X alone on his torture device. "Did I broke him?"

"No...No... It's just...His pain Chips gone." The tech guy informed the freeloader, his voice tight. "Meaning...OK, no wonder a blew a fuse yesterday."

"So he's off his leach then." The other technician went to his toolbox to grab something...it was a machine... "So...what do we tell the press?"

" _ **Draupadi...you need to stop him now."**_

Draupadi didn't need anything more; she emerged from the shadows, making sure her helmet was re-manifested, and the virus was out. She landed in a way that would give her a clear shot of the pervert. Her buster shot primed and ready. "Two choice freak, you step away from my partner and drop damn thing, or I kill you."

Shocked, the pervert raised his hands in the air and dropped...whatever the tool he had was.

She could hear Phantom grabbing the computer guy behind her, hopefully with his fuuma shuriken at his throat.

Oh, they were done playing by the Asimov rules.

"Alright, bud, get on the ground, hands behind the head."

The creeper sneered and brought his hands down. "And why should I listen to you bitch? You can't kill me; I'm a human." he declared as he picked up the dangerous gadget.

"Define human!" Draupadi ordered, charging her shot.

"I'm made out of flesh."

"Animals are made of the same things. Try again," she demanded...belatedly realizing that she would be more efficient with her deep, masculine voice.

Oh, well...too late now.

"I...I..."Finally, some proper fear. "I'm human! I'm a fucking human, you bitch!"

"A human dosen;t defame his leader...now on the ground." she could definitely kill the man, but it would upset X and...Mahaprabhu.

"HA! As if! X is just a Motherfu-" His curse was cut short by Draupadi's shot. It practically blew his shoulder off.

"Oops."

Needless to say, the man was on the ground after that.

* * *

After this overly-dramatic event, Draupadi left phantom the two humans, telling him he could dispose of them at his own discretion. She had something more important to do...like scanning her husband for any sign of tampering and/or damage.

She was still reeling that Ciel had her hands in it...but to hunt her down for retribution was not on Draupadi's mind...she didn't have the time of the inclination.

Let Krishna take care of this situation; Draupadi's mission was not to hunt down maverick anymore,

No...Her duty was to protect her Xiu Ying. And to save him from repeated birth and death.

She was sitting beside him, holding the listless form of X to her side as she let the Virus connect their systems.

And...by Krishna's grace, everything was fine and in working order. Nothing had been added, nothing had been removed, and no values had been tweaked.

' _So...why is he not conscious? Krishna...what's going on? Are you removing him from my life because...I forgot you?'_

" _M **y dear Draupadi...just wait, he'll be back soon. I** **promise.** **"**_

"If you say so..." The Vaishnavi murmured as she held her husband close, beating herself for not having followed her first idea and evacuate the (second) man in her life out and away from the cesspool that was the Neo-arcadian... seat of power.

Really...she should have beat him within an inch of his life, warped back to Neo-Arcadia with him in tow and boot Bakasura out. But no, she had to turn the other cheek...

Eventually, X blinked...and stared at his two guardians and his dear wife. "Oh, Zaki...ah...What Happened to Mike and Camera?"

"Oh...they tried to hack you back to how you were before, and this didn't work... So they tried killing you." Draupadi informed her husband, clenching her jaws and fist...

If Krishna hadn't made her forget about the tower map...she would have arrived too late to save X.

The irony was not lost on her, for she was always slower when following a map.

X stared at his wife, his eyes wide...and then the smile became somewhat bitter. "Ah...I knew it." He sighed. "Well, I'm not surprised...not after what I did yesterday." the resignation in his voice was clear.

"Taicho?" Phantom walked forward. "What should be done of them?"

X waved a hand. "Later Phantom... You can look onto it at your own time." He spoke tiredly. "Alright...so, who knows how to make the recording System work?"

"I do." Draupadi piped up. "Technically."

[Echo...what happened? How did you manage to get duped by those two clowns?] she conveyed to her husband through their private connection. [You're better than that.] she didn't bother hiding how displeasure.

X was not the awkward B rank she would stalk like an overly curious golden retriever. And he was smarter than that...

[I didn't think anything was wrong until they turned off my motor function and communication array.] He admitted. [I trusted those men since they served Neo-Arcadia dutifully for over ten years now...] He sighed. [I'm...Draupadi...are all humans so...]

[No...real humans are nice and sweet, truthful, humble and aiming at self-realization.] She described. [They are peaceful, clean...and God-conscious.]

[So...is I am to trust your definition...then there are practically no humans in Neo-arcadia...except for you.]

[And you, and Leviathan, and Andrew.] Draupadi reminded her husband. [By chanting Hare Krishna, you offer our lord the top-most service Xiu Ying.] She turned to smile at him. [It's funny really, Humans consider us no better than appliances...but by the definition of the great sages and the Srimad-Bhagavatam, then we are not only souls but also humans.]

X Chuckled... [So...if were humans, what about the twenty thousand souls bellow us...]

[I would say it fluctuate between animal and demoniac.] She informed her beloved X. [But it's still no reason to slaughter them.] Draupadi gave her husband a thinly veiled jab. [a human follows the principle of none violence after all.]

[Non-violence...so why is there blood on the floor?] X pointedly asked his violent wife.

[Non-violence doesn't mean 'you sit back and do nothing.' It can also mean to protect others.] She explained. [ Sri-Arjuna was a warrior, and he killed many enemies after they heard the Gita for Krishna, the Lord and his best friend.] Draupadi closed her eyes. [None violence to other souls can sometimes mean that you have to kill a few bodies to save thousands, in the Manu-Samhita, the book of law for all human beings, it's enjoined that no sins are incurred if one kills a murderer, a killer of cows, an arsonist, an invader and a man who stole someone's wife. Killing those is actually mercy, for it cleanses them of their sins.]

[Oh? But...I still can't see it.] X admitted.

[X...there's more to the universe than what you can see, even with your amazingly broad spectrometer. Hell is a place, and sinful people go there to have their sins purged excruciatingly...killing those who committed grievous violence to others means that they don't have to suffer in hell for them.] she caught X's eyes. The blue bomber still didn't look convinced.

[And...My Guru-ma and Krishna told me to protect you; I was just doing my job.] she admitted, averting her eyes.

[Griviious violence...Zaki, when did you learn those words?] he asked his wife as he went to grab her retreating hand.

[I've read holy scriptures translated by a pure devotee...those pure souls are so poetic...it rubbed off.] She gave a shy, self-conscious smile. Once again, amazed at how much she had changed.

For decades, she took a new identity as the devotee's servant, A Devi Dasi. Zero, the red ripper, had died without his knowledge, and from the ashes of this sacrifice, Draupadi devi dasi was born.

It was only now that she realized that fact.

She felt a sweet pressure on her lips. Breaking her out of her realization. Instead, the all adoring face of X met her eyes.

"X?"

X simply smiled affectionately, his wordless message loud and clear.

_I trust you. I love you..._

' _Oh Krishna...what have I done to deserve him?'_ She wondered as she sent her husband the same message.

"So...when do you think you could start?" X asked after a time. "The broadcast already behind by quite a bit."

" Sure, just give me a minute and..." she got up and walked away from the seat of prop and behind the camera. She was unwilling to reveal herself to the public yet, since for them...she was either still dead, dead or a dangerous maverick.

And yet...she could hide forever; It never worked anyway.

She connected to the Camera's and, after figuring out the codding and adjust its setting so that all could see her Echo's beautiful azure in its full glories, was ready to start to live broadcast.

"Alright Xiu, ready when you are." She informed her spouse.

The ruler of Neo-Arcadia took a deep breath in, chanted the Maha-Mantra and gave Draupadi the go-ahead.

* * *

' _Aw man...master X's such a lucky guy.'_ Fefnir thought he looked at Draupadi-Zero operating the recording equipment while master X apologized to the reploid population. And an update on the busted status quo.

An apology...

And indeed, there he was, the master on Neo-Arcadia. With palm folded, apologizing to all of his subjects... even going as far as getting up from his throne and prostrating to the ground. His whole frame shaking.

And the fire generals...and the other two also, knew that it was not for show...Master X really was admitting his wrongs, his sins. And begging for forgiveness.

He received a message from Draupadi-Zero, about how, from his position as the supreme ruler of Neo-Arcadia, he could do no wrong. This was but a way for X to heal...and to regain the heart of his subject.

Fefnir averted his eyes from the shameful display. He didn't want to admit he was wrong; nobody wanted to admit they were at fault. For it meant that they were less than perfect and...

And it meant that they had turned Maverick for four years, basically. Just because they offline the unneeded population. The one who would sap the energy to frolic and play as the human's...did the same thing.

Really, from his point of view, Fefnir knew the only reason humans were still around was that they could reproduce and potentially repopulate the planet...once terraformed again.

And then what? They would fight over pieces of land again, wars would start again, they would exploit nature again, and eventually, they would make more robotic slaves because they were just a bunch of lazy fools who had nothing better to do in life than eat, sleep, reproduce and fight.

That. Was. It.

Oh sure, they could love...and then what? Reploid could also love, _animals_ could also love.

Really, they should've just saved the animals, like cows...and let the human-shaped one die off.

Cows were good for everything, and they would never try to _eat another species to extinction._

But no...they had to protect uselessly, war-mongering, lazy, hypocritical humans because...humans were apparently intelligent and could make scientific improvement...meaning how to have better sex, eat better, shit better, sleep better and kill more efficiently.

Really...what were Cain and Light thinking by making robots for the humans to play with? Equality among humans and synth was but the stuff of sappy movies, just like equality among colours and the extinction of racism.

Neo-arcadia only had one colour of humans...mainly. No blacks and no brown could be seen...and if they did... it was in the Ghettos and slums that peppered the city.

Oh, Fefnir may act like a brute on the battlefield, letting his battle lust and masochism the full control of his body as he blew rebels and maverick to smithereens. But really...at this point in his life, he knew what humans were after.

Reploids were all for fun...they had no business to exist save to give humans more chance to do those five activities constantly as inevitable death slowly but surely loomed over.

He knew their situation, and he knew of his inability to re-green the planet.

How could he make plant life grow and strive in a desert? The lands were all depleted of nutrients, and no rain fell to revive the few spots of arable land.

Really, Neo-arcadia had more to do with a fancy death camp than anything.

And thus, Fefnir would usually lose himself in two activities, fighting and uselessly growing plants until destruction would free him.

That was until he met Zero... the Red legend, X's messiah and...the hottest piece of polarized metal known to any kind strutted back into their source's live... like a beautiful flower raining destruction on puppets...

The fight they had in the middle of the desert had been...revivifying!

The agility, the grace, the sheer power stat slept under his dark sili-carbon skin...everything about Zero was _perfect_...save for eh fact that he served the resistance.

But with how absolutely gorgeous and...strong, It gave Fefnir some incentives to just blow the dead-end place and join the resistance. Connection to X is damn.

At least...that's what he thought on his way back to base.

After his most satisfying, vivifying and...igniting fight he had in a century, Fefnir would readily admit that he started fantasizing about the gorgeous blond. About how...would the fire general won, he would have carried the heavily damaged frame of the red demon back to Neo-arcadia. Keeping him alive and repairing him in secret as he...

Got to _know_ each other, become intimate friends and... seduced him...

Oh, he had no idea why back then, but Zero just had this...je ne sais quoi, this attractive quality to him that had drawn Fefnir to him like a moth to a flame.

He just wanted to hold him near as he stroke his beautiful blond hair, spoke him sweet nothing to his audio, shoot the wind about weapons, plants and how everything was slowly going to hell...

They would fight. Of course, it would not be just the mushy stuff like candlelight dinner and whatnot.

Not that he was opposed to the super romantic stuff either. Like, he would totally take the legend out for a moonlight walk in the desert, as far away from the light as possible, gazing at the stars as they laid on a blanket, the highest grade of energeen shared between the two as they lost each other in the sky of their eyes...

Yes...so Fefnir was of the mushy type. Blame it on his master...

And then...he had learned about how the great legendary warrior of old, the supreme badass, the deathless hero in red...was an F-model.

An F-model...

Even Better!

The first time he had seen her...she...

Fefnir did not recognize her...

Alright, so she wore the same armours and the same helmet, and the frame was the same. But the way she was holding herself.

She was _meekly_ looking at the floor, humbly holding her hands in front of her and...

And then those golden marks! If M-framed Zero was a national hero and a historical character filled with mysteries...F-model Draupadi was shrouded in more myth than Fefnir could shake a stick at.

It seemed that a different reploid had replaced zero. And yet...

And yet Fefnir could feel the awakened power of the red legend. It was dark, foreboding and extremely inviting like a siren song beckoning him to give up everything and surrender unto her.

And he would...oh, he totally would give up everything for the minx, especially after the crazy acrobatic and ninja worthy move she pulled as she climbed the Ivory tower. Laying waste to their security mechalinoid and about twelve legion worth of Pantheons with stile grace, efficiency and sheer utter dominance.

Oh...how he longed to feel it as he held onto Draupadi-Zero's shuddering frame against his. Or better yet, lay under her heel as she crushed him, making his frame one with the earth again!

Fefnir exited from his unattainable fantasies as he returned his attention to the drivel X was feeding his pets.

Master X began to call out on those humans still wanting to take control of Neo-Arcadia, openly scolding them about how, by their actions, disaster had almost struck the last bastion of humanity. This disaster being Zero's wrath.

He was still admitting that his august self had been wrong...but no one had dared to challenge him, even when he was sworn to protect humans and thus would not have opposed them. No, instead, a young girl with a handful of civilian grade reploid had to oppose him...and had managed to find and almost set the Z apocalypse in full motion.

Oh yeah...She could definitely raze everything to the ground without a sweat. Draupadi-Zero...from the root of her hair to the tip of her exquisite feet was made to fight and destroy, add to that the maverick virus she holds and...

Well, there were still Reploids and Mechaniloids in Neo-Arcadia. She just needed to take control of them all, and voila! The final apocalypse!

He still remembers the sheer feeling of raw fear he felt when he had first seen the minx, seated in the middle of the medical room with X on her laps and the Virus pouring out of her and staining everything a vile purple.

She had been terrifying. Like, the most beautiful catastrophe just waiting to happen, a viral Chernobyl to the top of the city, it's guardian at the epicentre.

And this same catastrophe had saved him...

She had no reasons too...for Fefnir was still a dog of X...And Draupadi-Zero was his wife...

She was unattainable as long as X lived...and even beyond that.

As he spoke, Fefnir could detect some anxiety that was not from him, meaning it was from his Master. And not a moment after he had felt that, Draupadi-Zero was at the side of her husband, standing near him like an ever-watchful angel...

Or more like a viral Valkyrie.

She laid a strong hand onto the legendary blue bomber shoulder as she looked straight ahead.

The moment she did and Fefnir could just feel Master X's anxiety diminish.

Master X grabbed her hand and squeezed it. Once again, the amount of love he felt for Zero was...

' _I have no chance...She's master X...She won't even look at me.'_ She didn't even like the cute little dress he had gotten her as a token of gratitude.

Oh...X didn't even _need_ to ask Fefnir to get some proper cloth for his better half; the Fire guardian already had commissioned the pretty dress even before Leviathan began to complain about how terrible she looked in Master X's dirty dress.

And from what he had seen...

Well...she wore it for some time and gave the fire general ample time to scan her. But it was clear Draupadi-Zero was only wearing it because it was the only thing she had.

Fefnir sighed...X was a lucky man... a fortunate man...

* * *

"-And I would like to thank those who went against my order to kill all the civilian units. You are Heroes, and your act of bravery will be recognized eternally." X finished as he folded his palms and bowed his head. "You...all of you. Thank you...and I pray that I may be able to repay you all for what you did."

"Now...before I end this broadcast. I would..." he hesitate...X, once again felt his anxiety spiked at the next item, the next information he would give the people of Neo-Arcadia. He could feel his core output sky-rocketing in anticipation of a jolt of pain that would never come.

He felt the grounding hand of his wife...of Zero on his shoulder. And once again, he felt her reassuring presence chase away whatever irrational fear he felt.

He reset his voice chip.

"I would like to re-introduce Zero, the returned red Legend." he smiled at his wife, who's face was carefully neutral. "He...has returned once again. And again, I ow him my life."

His Zaki never was one for the camera...not after his first death anyway.

[Zaki... you doing great. I'll be alright; you can move behind the Camera now.] He didn't want the life of his life to suffer more anxiety than needed; that was _his_ job.

She gave a squeeze. [ Xiu, I can still feel the tension in your frame. I can manage it. If I want to preach to them, I need to get used to making public appearances.] she radioed him. [Also...thank you for introducing me as male...but I would've rather you tell everyone the truth about my gender.]

[But...wouldn't that be dangerous?] He asked. With his anxiety fluctuating, he was even more on edge than usual.

[Taking risk for Krishna's not dangerous. The worst that can happen is I-]

[Zero...please...]

[X, Sigma couldn't kill this body, crashing in the Eurasia station didn't do it either. What can they do? The worst those humans can do is throw stones, brick, and whatever they can get their untrained hands on.] She answered him. [And God's protecting me...and I can't die any-]

X interrupted her by squeezing her hand a bit harder than necessary. [Please...Please don't...I don't...I won't be able to...] This was the drop that tilted his scale; X could only struggle to maintain a somewhat neutral and beatific facade in front of the camera.

Blame it on Centuries worth of pain, stress and losing everyone and everything he ever cared about over and over again.

[Hey, Hey...It's OK; I'll be careful. Like, I won't go out without a full escort and...]

[No...no. It's just...my fears speaking...Just...]

[It's alright, Xiu Ying, just ask Krishna to take your anxiety away.] She conveyed.

Considering his Zero's...habits. X thought it wise to do so, for it seemed only God himself could protect her.

[Alright...Alright...Let Krishna take all of them. I can't deal with this amount of stress anymore.] He finally conceded. [Now...do you want me to do an addendum?]

[Yes, it will be out eventually...and I also have some words for Neo-arcadia in general. Oh, and don't forget to tell them that I'm holding you hostage.] Draupadi Zero reminded him.

[Right...Never tough being held hostage would be so pleasant.] X admitted.

[I'm your wife, get used to it.]

It took everything for X not to burst into laughter.

He returned to normal atomic time and resumed his broadcast. "Well...I say he but. Zero...Zero is my wife, and she had this position for over a hundred-fifty year.-" he explained, remembering the conversation he had with Leviathan over two weeks ago, more or less.

Yes, there was no easy or elegant way to deal with Zero's gender. He was actually as she and had been for all time.

Cain knew Douglas knew...and their favourite Life-saver, Louis, also knew...

Zero was kept in the dark since he remembered _anything_ about 'his' mysterious past would trigger a very hidden kill code.

"-She...returned to us recently and, she would have a few words to say." X ended as he passed the proverbial mike to Zero...Draupadi.

It was a beautiful name, just like her.

"Citizen on Neo-Arcadia." she began, her posture stiff, her mouth kept in a line, and her brows knitted. "You are all under my control."

[Huh... you're not mincing words.] X tried not to wince at this; he could already hear and see the gasped of shock and horror that would spurn his citizen to send their E-prayers to him...flooding the terminals with...

Spams...just a bunch of spams...

"The Virus is still with me, and I can turn _anything_ maverick by my will."

[Zaki...you know, your could be less...ah...] It seemed his beloved Draupadi was ignoring him.

X sighed internally; this would be something exciting to deal with; he was certain.

"But...I won't." she closed her eyes. "I won't unleash this nightmare...As long as you all leave my X and what he holds dear alone." She opened her eyes again, letting the virus turn her sclera purple.

"Five days ago, the council tried to control him again; they tried to return him to slavery, to being a mere puppet. I'm sure you all know by now what X did..."

[Draupadi.] He pleaded while he kept his face in a neutral smile.

"As the King and sole ruler of Neo-Arcadia, he acted in his right." Draupadi closed her statement like she would cut down an enemy. "Today, just before this broadcast, two-man tried to...Hack into his system." she spoke those few words in disgust. " and one of them...one of them tried to kill my husband in front of mine and Hidden Phantom's eyes..." the amount of barely subdued anger in her voice. "If any of you have some intelligence left, don't you dare try a third time...I only need thirty-minute to destroy everything you hold dear. And no, this is not a challenge; it's a promise." She punctuated with a show of her undiluted power.

X shuddered...his Zaki was protective of him...

Although she had threatened the last bastion of humanity with rempent maverikism, X could not help but find it extremely endearing. Yes, this truly was his Zero. The awakened Zero...the one who would and could do anything and everything for X's ultimate benefit.

Up and including giving up her life...trice.

Then Draupadi took a deep and steadying vent, releasing it with all of her anger, it seemed. "But...knowing most of the population only want peace, the smart one at least, then I doubt it would have to go that far."

"Beyond that..." Draupadi paused, and, by the sound of it, began to mill something over.

"Beyond that, if you could all chant, Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare, then I will be less inclined to obliterate the place. I'll even protect it with my life." She assured with folded palms and a humble smile.

This smile took X's mind and worried away. _'So that's what you want...you just want them to chant the holy name, don't you.'_ X let his own smile turn genuine.

"That will be all." His dearly beloved Draupadi ended as she inclined her head. Once those four words left her lips, her whole posture hunched over, her hands shaking.

X reached over and, expertly ignoring his dear life's protest, pulled her onto his laps. Sending Phantom and Fefnir to please exit the room, he could take it from there.

"X! Let me go!"

"No, you took over Neo-Arcadia...you took all my citizens hostage!" X playfully scolded as he struggled to keep the Beautiful Draupadi from wiggling her way out. "Maverick, I now have you in custody... what do you have to say for your crimes?" He grinned.

It had been so long...so, so long...since the last time he had fun with his Zero...his dear Zaki.

Draupadi stopped struggling and raised her hands. "He Krishna! He Yadhava, He Saketi! He Govinda, He Damodhara, he Madhaveti!" she exclaimed. "O, Krishna! Come save me!"

"What is this? Your surrendering to God of all persons?" X asked as he kept his wife close to him, burying his nose in the back of her neck. And Planting a kiss on the delightful location just for the sake of it.

"Hey, it worked for my namesake...and it worked for me!" she revealed as she crossed her arms over her chest...with a pout...

Yes, Zero could and would pout for X...

"But you called God's name in vain," X argued back. Trying to chase away the fear and the dread of the riot that was probably going on outside.

"You can never call Gauranga''s name in vain. One should always remember it."

"But...you just said Gauranga," X spoke in confusion. "I thought you were calling Krishna?"

"I did...Krishna is also Gauranga."

"And who's Gauranga?"

"Nityananda."

"Nityananda?" X parroted...was his wife speaking in tongue again? And then...

"Wait...Nityananda?" X repeated this word...or was it a name stirring something in his memory bank. "Nityananda...Jay Sri-Krishna Chaitanya, Prabhu Nityananda...Sri Advaita, Gadadhara Srivasa Adi Gaura Bhakta Vrinda..." He murmured as he rubbed his chin. He could still remember Zero's weight as she pounced the blue bomber's vessel, filling his audios with the Maha-Mantra. "Say...Draupadi, what does it-"

The next thing he knew, he felt his dear wife's lips on his, her arms tightly wounded around his neck.

After some time, she finally let go; tears (tears!) were filling her amethyst like eyes. An oceanic smile filled her lips. Giving her a glow he had never seen before.

"So...I wasn't wrong...it was you in those pantheons." Realization light Draupadi's fathomless eyes.

"yes...I can send my consciousness in them since...since some time, I just want to...not be me," he revealed, his smile and happy facade breaking to pieces.

X = pain^suffering...and he hated being X, the so-called God of Neo-Arcadia, the father of a destructive race...the puppet ruler.

Light's greatest curse upon the earth...

And being in a Pantheon meant... meant he was Not X...He was but a machine... he didn't have to think...it meant he could go through as many destructions as needed to atone for his sins. And he didn't have to be...he didn't have to be X...

He didn't have to be X...he didn't have to be this sad and lonely creature anymore...

Since X could never fall to Zero as often as a pantheon would. He could let his Zaki, his angel of Salvation, destroy him...destroy X...

And he would destroy X... He would always destroy X...

X had to die to atone for humanity's Sin...his suffering was deserved and welcome...

He could still feel pain, but this pain had been liberating... And he would fantasize that X truly was gone...until he had to return to his painful body.

Draupadi sat astride upon his lap, cradling X's face in her hands. "X...X...Xiu Yin...Xiu..." she gently called out to him, extirpating the so-called emperor out of his dark thought. "Echo..."

"I...I'm sorry I..." his face was wet...was he still smiling? Zero was there...everything was fine... he would take care of him...

"It's alright, Echo...I think you had enough administrative duty for today," she spoke gently as she kissed his lips gently, letting their Data-gem touch.

X could feel her serenity and natural felicity...it soothed his heart somewhat. "Zaki...I...It's just morning...I have."

He had to check on his subjet...he had to answer them...to assuage their fear and anger at the many sins he had committed...

He had to return to his Data-throne...and answer his emails...and take their pains away... to take it all upon him...

He had to protect them...

He had to protect them...

He felt a gentle viral wave wash his duties away... this nightmare away."Nothing to do all day." She spoke with finality. "One of my demand to maintain the peace in Neo-Arcadia was a ten year sabbatical for you...short of your complete retirement...you can still advise, and you're words are still laws, but I won't let you rule as you did for the last century, is that clear?"

X sighed, the weight of his responsibility still sticking to his broken shoulder, although one strong enough could help him lift it.

"I'm...I should be stronger than that." X stated...he could already feel his control over his emotions breaking further apart. He leaned his heavy head to Draupadi's chest, relishing the hum of her working internals.

"Yes, and as with every brave warrior, you got badly wounded..." Draupadi spoke gently. "Krishna's Son Pradyumna had once been wounded on the field, and Sataki, his charioteer, had to pull him out. Same with King Dhasarath...his favourite queen, Kaushalia saved him more than once..." she explained gently, stroking his helmet. "X...People may criticize you, but I know you...you need...you need to stop right now and focus on what really matters." Draupadi lifted his head so that he may look into her eyes, his tears fully o display for his Hero. "You need a break from fighting...from violence." Guilt entered her countenance. "I...I shouldn't have pulled you out from your retirement back then," she admitted.

"It's...alright...Politic leads me nowhere anyway...and no one wanted me back in the lab, calling me too old to be of any use." He had tried...he had tried so hard for peace...

"Zero...Why...What was I...what am I fighting for?" he asked with a choked voice, to his life long partner. The one that remained despite everything.

He was...she was right there, looking down at him from atop his lap.

He could feel her weight, he could feel the virus and the energy that coursed through her warm frame...he could feel her braid, her venting and...

She was so beautiful...like an angel of mercy.

No...Zero...Draupadi-Zero _was_ an angel, a herald sent by God, Krishna, to save him...again.

"X..."

He broke into broken sobs...it was not even noon, and he had enough of being X.

* * *

Draupadi walked out of the private broadcasting studio, helping her husband walk upright.

He was a war veteran, someone who had seen and done too much, and was now practically thrown to the side after being over-used. Forgotten by a society that existed only due to his repeated sacrifice.

Really, Draupadi may have demanded a sabbatical, but it was clear her Xiu Ying really needed to retire... and with no properly trained rulers and many jackals waiting for the Lion to die or leave...

It would not be possible.

' _Even if he still has to call the shot, he won't be alone this time, and He'll have Krishna; he_ _needs Krishna.'_ Draupadi resolved to start teaching him at her earnest, she had already typed the Bhagavad-Gita and had already gifted the first copy X, but she fully knew what her dearest husband needed.

He needed the Krishna book...

Unending bliss flooded Draupadi's heart as she planned her attack. She was already juggling a few books around, but one of Srila Prabhupada's greatest gift to humanity was this particular work. Had the power to give pure love of God with a single word.

It was her favourite...a gift from her black-skinned neighbours, three centuries ago.

' _God has a sense of humour...and the best of all, foresight.'_

She was already picturing the perfect evening with her recovering husband, curled up against one another...or even in each other's embrace as they read the beautiful work. As spoken by Sri Sukadeva Gosvami, the transcendental so of Vyasadeva, God's biography to the assembled sages of Naimasheranya over five millenniums ago.

She shuddered in bliss, her feet faltering as the weight of the joyful task at hand robbed her of her legs...

Then she heard someone...not really gagging, but clearly disgusted.

This broke Draupadi...out of her divine planing of her Echo's retirement and back to reality...

A reality in which Harpuia was sneering at her as if she was human waste. Beside him was Fefnir...he was holding the Skirt Draupadi had worn but a scant few hours away. He was staring at the scene; his face was unreadable. But it was clear he was not happy either.

"Yes?" She asked, prompting them to move. Beside her, leaning on her shoulder, X was leering at Harpuia with narrowed eyes.

"I..." Harpuia started, only to bite his tongue. It was clear he wanted to run Draupadi through with the sword of his sharp tongue, but the aegis of her husband protected her.

Harpuia turned to the side, about to depart. "Master...your...Zero forgot to turn off the recording..." he spoke tightly and with disgust. Turning his heel and walking away from the two.

Draupadi's eyes grew wide...and would she be human, cold sweat would be pouring down on her back.

[Peh...I bet you gave them all a good show.] Fefnir conveyed to Draupadi, he was clearly miffed about the whole thing.

[If you could consider calming X down from another break down entertaining...] She send to Fefnir, noticing how the red and white general was holding her discarded dress. [ I made a mistake... I admit that. And I hope I will never do it again.]

She felt heat painting her cheeks and turned off the blush option. So she had appeared on National T.V wearing nothing but a red top...and Straddling her husband's lap as he once again broke down.

At least...there was a chance that the microphones had caught the Maha-Mantra. Still...this was not something the public was supposed to see...at all. It made her husband looked weak, a pray...

A hundred years ago, she would've told him to toughen up, but Draupadi knew the reason why he was in such a fragile state was that he bottle everything in...and had toughened up, becoming like an unfeeling doll while he tried to hide his wounds, letting them fester.

Still, it was the second time in three days. Not so bad considering the state he was in the first time she met him.

She wordlessly walked to X's room... she needed to talk to someone...

To be back with X was a dream come true, a Miracle. But the fact that he was so...emotionally bruised.

It could get draining.

He knew and hated it...

And this just made his depression worst.

And thus the vicious cycle went on.

She went in, helped her husband to his bed and prayed to the Lord for a way to free him from his terrible pain.

She kneeled in front of him. X had donned his helmet but was not connected to the wireless array. He was staring at his hands, deep in thoughts.

"X...Echo?" Draupadi ventured as she gently took the hands of her husband. "What happened back there...can you tell me?" she asked. Making sure no one would listen in.

X worried his lips, and Draupadi gave him the time he needed to get all of his thoughts in order.

"Zaki...I...I'm tired of being...me." He began, his eyes still not moving from their joint hands.

"You don't want to be X anymore." She couldn't blame him.

"No...X...X means suffering, nothing more," he confirmed. "I...I want X to...to die..."

"You don't want to be a hunter or the emperor of Neo-Arcadia anymore." She resumed, gently massaging his hands.

"No...I never...I never wanted to be in this position...I never wanted to be a ruler, but..." he sighed as he let himself back on his freshly made bed. "After the elf-war, they practically made X as good as God for this small settlement."

"But...you didn't want that," Draupadi said as she laid beside her Prabhu. Openly cringing at the fact that those Envious demons had the gals to deify their martyr.

Why go to the unfailing Acyuta and surrender to him when they had another fallible messiah to crucify and exploit?

" I never wanted recognition. But after the miracle of having Neo-Arcadia up and running despite everything...they all but enshrined Elipse and me calling us the supreme power-couple." he sneered.

"So...you and-"

"No!" X vehemently denied as he sat up. "Elipse...I have always seen and treated her as your daughter, the last thing I had left of you..." His chest began to heave. "I...I love her as if she was our daughter. I raised her, fed her..." His face crumpled after this uncharacteristic show of love fuelled anger. " She...Weil...he."

Draupadi got up, wrapping both arms around X's chest. "I know..." She felt her own tightened...

"I...I saw it as an opportunity. I wanted... After my failed attempt during the exile..." Draupadi painfully closed her eyes...

"Those sun-charger left Neo-Arcadia and...I was with them..." X's voice turned into a tired monotone as he relived this horrible day. A day Draupadi knew from far away... But X had lived it...

"Echo..."

"I...I was also charging in the sun, and I...I was tired, Zaki, so tired...I've seen everyone die...Cain, Iris, you...Alia... Axl...They all..." he sobbed again before his voice returned to be emotionless.

"That night...I went with them...we all knew we wouldn't survive...none of us could come back to Neo-Arcadia...we all...we all had to die...and I could stop...X would be gone."

Draupadi closed her eyes...And prayed for strength.

* * *

All glories to my two newly-initiated God-Sister Ganga-Pryia Devi Dasi and Yamuna-Priya Devi Dasi.


	13. A brewing storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Lord appears to the one who sacrificed all; a burning fire will receive the mercy he desires, a recluse return to life.

Hours passed as she listened to her Husband's tales of Horrors.

Draupadi knew he would open up eventually to what had spurred him to perform his attempt...and it did not disappoint.

Let it be known to the world that it took five bloody wars, five terrorist attack, losing his best friend/boyfriend/partner/fiancee three times, Having to raise her mentally challenged daughter (that went murderously insane due to being treated as no better than a fancy app by most...and being reprogrammed by Weil.) another war caused by the same man and his _other_ copy of her frame. The world most dangerous ransomware and the suicide pack the sun-chargers made to save Neo-arcadia, _and a glitchy, over-sensitive_ Shock collar on top of it all to completely break Mega Man X.

And the whole... Surya-Suicide pact?

Well, as Phantom had told her, one day, around fifty years ago, Sun-charging reploids began overcharging and blowing up for no apparent reason. It was a new plague and this one even worst than the Sigma Virus.

Those sun-charging reploids used to be of the old generation. A new type of frame ad been available on the market, one that could only function using crystallized energy, For the Eden dome had been a bit too good at blocking the radiation a reploid's system would use to recharge.

Those of the old crowd, mostly old hunters and quite a few civilians, saw the life of humans too precious and unwilling to remain in Sub-Arcadia, at the risk of blowing the underground nuclear generator...and the last bastion to the moon, they had all vowed to exit the city under the cover of the night...to go as far out in the desert as possible.

And wait for the sun to shine on them.

X had willingly followed the condemned sun-charger in the darkness of the night; his plan had been simple.

He would wait with them to view one last sunrise.

But in their last act of loyalty to commander X, Signas, layer and Palette had saved her husband from a fiery death.

They had hacked X and made him enter sleep mode without his notice; the resulting wind, heat and deafening sound of more than a few thousand reploid exploding simultaneously had been his alarm clock.

Then after this one last catastrophe, the blame had been put on Elipse...she had been scheduled for destruction.

And X had lied...he had told them all that Elipse was indestructible, she could only be contained.

In him, of course.

X was well aware that this was bound to fail, For Elipse had been too powerful for him even with specialized armour on and his variable system... and that was when she was more or less sane.

What to speak of the angry and fully maddened Elipse, now controlled by irrational fear and anger caused by Weil's tempering.

This had been X's second attempt. And the one that had approached success. Leaving him in a coma for a hundred years while his wife had the time of her life in cyberspace. Learning about God, the goal of life and learning about what true love and Bliss were like.

In other words, it would take about three apocalypses, four armageddons and Ragnarok to break her husband.

She walked out of their shared room and all but collapsed, using the wall as a support as she sat down in the vacant corridor. She tried to contact Alouette, needing a friend to talk to...

she was met with an empty line...

That was something else...She was well aware that fighting Fefnir and Sage Harpuia were scouting the desert for the new base, but she knew what Ciel and the resistance were capable of doing in the amount of time she was gone.

She had used some mystic power to move faster than what was physically possible...But for Phantom, it had taken him four days to get to their last location, add to that four more days and the five days it had taken for her to recover from her 'fight' with X...

A month was more than enough for the resistance to disappear from everyone's radar, especially with Ciel in tow.

She sighed, there was always Leviathan... and Andrew...even if she didn't want to bother the 'old' reploid with more matrimonial drama, he had enough to be very honest.

So...Leviathan...

"No...Forget leviathan; I have you." She addressed the Lord, the only Best Friend of All.

After fifty years of serving and trying to preach in the repository, Draupadi had realized time s and times again that Krishna was a great listener and could hold his end of a conversation.

She may not see Him, But Krishna was all-pervasive. He was everywhere, and he was in her heart.

"Yes indeed, my friend," Krishna spoke sweetly, his deep voice rumbling like thunder yet as sweet as the nectar of immortality. "My dear Draupadi...what is ailing this beautiful heart of yours? Your husband is back to sanity, you have a palace, and no one would ever dare to attack your family again, and you, by your sincere effort to preach, is pleasing me to no end..."

The flames of bliss light up in Draupadi's heart. She was far from even printing or publishing a single book yet, and yet Sri-Krishna was pleased. _'He must be joking...I ran back to my_ _husband_ _when I could've returned to Him.'_ She sighed as she got up. She needed to walk, to move.

"Keshava...you know what's wrong." She admitted.

"I do...but I want to hear it from you." The Lord spoke as he walked beside his dearest servant and friend. "And I have no issues with you returning to your husband's side, for he too has started his journey back home to me."

"Yes...I know." Draupadi let herself smile. "Thank you, Keshav...You...you save him."

"No...you did." Krishna shot back.

"No, you did." Draupadi returned the smile that tugged at her lips, pulling her out of the gloom her heart was drowning in.

"Alright, so I did...but I could not have done it without you." Krishna bowed his head, his black, curly hair cascading from his shoulder from under an opulent turban.

Draupadi hid her smile as she waved the praise away. "Oh...Please don't start. Guru-ma's the one who saved me first. And she's the one who orders me to pull the impossible."

Krishna chuckled, his beautiful dark blue aura painting the hallways a glorious sapphire hue. His dhoti lighting up the place as golden as his Sri-Radha. "Yes...indeed."

Draupadi smiled...but this smile slid as she went to the heart of the problem. "Krishna...I'm worried about my Husband. He's chanting your holy name and...and he received your unlimited mercy but..."

"But?"

Draupadi huffed as she dragged her hands up her face and through her hair. "But...it's draining, you know. Sure, I can see X is trying to move away from his past, and he's taking to Krishna consciousness like a fish to water, but... "

"But there are those days." Krishna finished for her.

"...yes...those days where I can see a little bit of madness, a little bit of despair clouding his jaded eyes...and ...and his horrible past resurface to haunt him again..." Her legs stilled, her own lenses were filled with water now. "Krishna...I know he did something to deserve it and all, but..."She sobbed a bit before she calmed herself down. " I can't hate myself for leaving, but I can't be fully happy with the treasure I returned with."

"So you feel like Yudhistir at the end of the Kuru-kshetra war." Krishna resumed.

"Yes...and I have no idea how to make my Echo feel better. I gave him what I had, and...writing down everything takes so long and...and his depression's draining me so much..." She huffed. "but I can't just leave him! It would kill him!" Draupadi began to walk again; he strides fuel by frustration. "And then there's the four guardians. I know Harpuia hates my guts; I'm fine with that; I'm used to it bu...but it hurts my Prabhu like anything. And Leviathan...She's...ugh."

"You don't like her."

"It's complicated." Draupadi all but moaned. "She's nice, helpful...and admittedly beautiful like my husband. And without her, I would not have been able to get to where I am...but, she's so flirty and...and affectionate." she huffed. "She's... she feels what my Echo's feel for me. And she acts on them like... like she was X..."

"And...do you like it," Krishna asked, his ankle bell silent as they listen to the saint's ordeal.

Draupadi hugged her elbows to her frame. "I'm...I'm not supposed to. She's a...as womanly as a battle grade reploid can be, she's serving under my husband and...and I have to be an example Krishna, I can't just...I can't! It would...how would Echo react?! How would...Krishna, what am I supposed to do about her? And Fefnir! I know he's into me, the wife of his master, the king! I'm a _mother_ to him, but..."

"He sees you the same way Echo sees you." Krishna finished for her.

"No...My Echo sees me like his partner, his equal. Something to be worshipped practically. Fefnir and Leviathan only see me as an object of pleasure, nothing more." Draupadi was not as socially blind as she was a hundred years ago. Not that those two did anything to hide their desires. The most had been how...cuddly leviathan had been.

And flirty...

Alright...not flirty... extremely forward.

Oh, and what to say about Fefnir practically disrobing with his smouldering glances.

"But..what would happen if you would not reciprocate their love?" Krishna asked.

Draupadi huffed. " First of all, it's not love; it's lust. And second..." she gripped her helmet. "This...is what I'm afraid of. If I reciprocate a little, they may take this as permission to take it further...and I cheat on my Echo. And he doesn't deserve this...at all." She clutched her core...her heart.

Just the mere thought of betraying him...It would kill whatever faith he had in Krishna...it would kill X in every sense of the word.

And yet...if she remained as cold as ice...

The four were cloned from X's subtle body, meaning they were all, in essence, X. And X was madly in love with her...meaning those four, at the very least, were now thirsty for her company to different degrees.

To wait it out would not be an option, for if they were as connected as X and Leviathan had told her, then they would all feel despair about how Draupadi was ignoring them...

It would...and did make X's depression worst, which would make the Guardian's mood worse, rendering Harpuia even less civilized, which meant X would have to kill four versions of himself, which meant a war...

No... They could not afford any more collateral damage.

And X would be no better than when she had first met him in a random Pantheons more than a week ago.

"I think you've reached your logical conclusion, my dearest Draupadi." Krishna's mischievous smile was very clearly heard in his voice, and Draupadi...prayed to her name-sake for intelligence and mercy since her protector was taking too much pleasure out of her suffering.

Not that she minded, for Krishna's smile was the cure for all miseries.

"Alright...so I'll cross this bridge when I'll be there." She huffed as she crossed her arm. " For X and Guru...I will do whatever it takes to serve them."

"It's alright, Draupadi, material life is not meant to be perfect," Krishna stated as he laid his cooling and pleasure-giving hand on Draupadi's overburdened shoulder. Making her shudder in bliss as her fine hairs stood on end.

"Yes...I know. But I'm the last Vaishnavi here, I have to show by example or." she gesticulated, trying to convey how helpless she felt. "Krishna...I'm supposed to teach everyone the right conduct for a spiritualist...not having...four and a half husband!"

" Panchali taught the entire world about complete surrender onto me." Krishna began, his golden eyes filling with tears as he remembered the saintly wives of the five Pandavas. "She also taught about causeless service and how having faith in me will salvage one from the worst of situation." He smiled as he remembers the saintly extension of Lakshmi-ji. " her faith in me is such that I always long to carry her glorious sandal on my head as she goes to Bhishma-Sena in the middle of the night. Asking the greatest of all warriors how her husband Arjuna may defeat him."

Despite herself, Draupadi-Zero smiled as she remembered this particular pastime.

She sighed, turned to Krishna and raised her hands to the sky. "Hey Krishna, hey Yadhava, hey Suketi! Please save me!" She begged the Lord of her heart. Making him laugh. "Krishna, Draupadi Devi's practically Lakshmi-Ji, she's...she's born from a fire of sacrifice and the perfect wife of the Arjuna and his brothers. I'm...My body's a weapon of mass destruction; I carry _the_ plague...and...and whatever I did always seemed to cause those I care about either misery, death, or both!" She lamented. Tears of frustration rolling down her flawless cheeks.

"Oh my dearest, believe me, the path you are on is for the best," Krishna promised her with a sweet smile powerful with assurance. Making his devotee dropped her arm as she, indeed, surrendered to God's will. "And as for you, husband...I think his problem is the identity he has at the moment."

"His identity. You mean...yeah, that's what he told me, he doesn't want to be X anymore." Draupadi rubbed the side of her helmet...and removed the thing now that she knew no more danger lurked in the tower. Then she stopped, her eyes wide...

"Draupadi...if you want this particular soul to be free from all misery and pain...X need to die."

Draupadi froze, her cores no better."My Lord...do you mean." She was already breaking her own heart... If this was Krishna's will.

"Are you Zero?" The Supreme Personality of Godhead asked. Knowing what was in her heart.

Draupadi shook her head, her eyes still wide as her CPU practically overclocked. "No...Zero...my old Identity has been dead for over five decades now...I'm...I'm Draupadi Devi Dasi, the maidservant of Sri-isopanisad Devi dasi..." She vented harder as tears filled her eyes, understanding what the lord, now golden, was getting at. She could feel her Guru...her Guru-ma was over her shoulder, her lotus-like mouth right by her right audio.

"Yes...you are my spiritual daughter, and you took your second birth in our ashram on the 15 of December 2XXX." Sri-isopanisad Devi Dasi intoned, her old and wizened voice holding what amounted to an unlimited degree of pure love for the spiritual daughter. "that day, Zero, the Red ripper and the Infinite Oblivion Died...and you, my lovely Draupadi, took birth.

Draupadi-Zero's venting hitched; she could still remember that day...she remembered how jubilant Archana had been, running here and there as he assisted Bharata in preparing the sacrificial Arena, the black and gold Navi no less subdued.

She remembered the smell of the burning Ghee, the recitation of the mantra to remove her previous name and identity...and receiving her beads from her Mother, under the loving gaze of her father, Vasudeva...

She could still feel the garland on her neck, coded to be as fragrant as a real one, and Bharata tying around her neck the sacred Tulasi beads, indicating that she was now officially the maidservant of her master.

She belonged to He Grace Sri-Isopanisada Devi Dasi...and by extension her husband, the priest of the ceremony.

She remembered when her Guru-ma had handed her a set of beads...they would never be able to leave cyberspace, but at that time, the soul had thought she could never leave also.

She remembered taking the six vows...

No meat-eating, not even eggs and fish. No intoxication, no gambling and no illicit sex...and chanting sixteen rounds of the Maha-Mantra every day without fail...

And following The Ekadasi fast.

She could hear Bharat and Archa-Vigraha singing the holy names with a few other ashram residents...their voice choked with love as they await the rebirth.

And then came her name. Her new identity...

" **You are now Draupadi Devi Dasi...the maidservant of Draupadi, Unalloyed devotee of Sri-Krishna!"**

"And I have a great service to ask of you." She felt the old hands of her dear Guru-ma on her shoulder, her warmth and the smell of sandalwood and camphor mixed with her own bodily aroma bringing her back to a time were everything was sweet. "Draupadi Devi Dasi...you may give initiation. Be our connection to him...to all of them." The saintly teacher, her skin shaming ebony, paused, and the blond Robot master could practically feel her tears falling from her dark-pearl eyes.

" Oh Draupadi, who have taken shelter under the lotus feet of Vishnu and who is dear to Krishna on this earth." Sri-isopanisada began, and the mechanized Vaishnavi felt a current of pure bliss course her body. And her connection to Guru-Gauranga lights up.

She was getting her pranama mantra...a mantra to give to those who would take shelter of her. Her disciples, her masters.

"You, like Draupadi, have been born of the fire of sacrifice, and you will give the Harinama Sankirtana, the greatest of sacrifice to the world at large. Being the servant of a great Vaishnavi, the personification of sweet surrender, Srimati-Draupadi, you have surrendered to your Guru-Gauranga's lotus feet. And like the saintly mother you are, you have given birth again to the lost scriptures, revealing them again to the world. I fall at your feet a thousand times." She heard the prayed, in Sanskrit to her ear but in Japanese in her heart. "Now, My daughter. Go and Give Gauranga's mercy to all... give 'em all Krishna-Prema.

She reopened her eyes, she was still in the same corridor, and her helmet was back on. She shook her head to clear up whatever residual glitch was there.

She scanned the entire area... no one was there but her.

She sighed. _'Alright,_ _That was nice, but..._ _'_ She looked down at her hand...and froze.

In her right hands were her well-worn Tulasi chaplet, and on her neck, the three strands Tulasi necklace, given to her by Bharata, hung.

She clutched her beads...and fainted—the weight of what had just happened to great for her.

* * *

Back in the room of the master of Neo-Arcadia, X was bundled under his covers, feeling as miserable as he looked.

' _What type of Husband am I?'_ He wondered. _'My Zaki...she wakes up to my numerous mistakes, faced me at my worst and yet...Oh God, what have I done to deserve such a partner?'_

He listened to his empty room, but the Lord still considered him unworthy of his audience. _'It's alright, I_ _understand._ _I_ _wouldn't_ _want to speak to myself either, Lord.'_ He sighed as he turned on his back, an arm to his head. _'What am I supposed to do? I've already_ _apologized_ _and redacted most of the laws I've made in the past four years...'_ He closed his eyes, feeling disconnected from those last two acts. _"_ _I've tried acting as normal as possible, I'm chanting the mantra she gave, and I'm...I'm still causing her_ _pain_ _...I'm still_ _struggling._ _"_ He sighed, feeling drained of everything.

' _O-oh...Yeah, Of course, you feel drained, X. But how about Zero? Do you think it's fair what you've made her go through?'_ He asked himself.

No, Draupadi-Zero deserved better... _everyone_ deserved better than just Mega Man X. They deserved an actual king, not...him.

He had tried to kill her...not even recognizing his life-long partner when they stood in front of him like mercy personified.

And yet...His Zaki was still with him, still helping the blue bomber to shoulder the weight he had burdened his shoulders with, still supported him unconditionally, still loved him, despite everything.

She had...She had gently rubbed is back as X practicality pour the putrefied overly emotional sludge that clogged his system, flooding her with more pain and despair instead of the love and devotion she deserved.

' _I'm a terrible person; Draupadi would be better off without me...'_ The world would be better off without him...

Once again, X curse Cain for having found him in the ruins of doctor Light's lab...and doctor Light, by extension.

His creator had made him...and maybe a few more to allay his loneliness, unaware of the calamity this seemingly innocent act had brought upon the world at large. He had given X weapons of war and a long and strenuous morality training, forcing him to chose the joy and betterment of humans instead of his own...and of any other robotic entity that would come into being.

The result was a little more than twenty million humans left in the middle of Somalia, living in an over-glorified terrarium. More mavericks outside, radiations level that were above the permissible level and...

No, there was actually no radiation outside, only the ever backing sun making the place extra inhospitable for anything less than a reploid.

X closed his eyes and let his tears fell. Zero had sacrificed everything for him...everything so that he could have his peace between humans and Reploid...but how can peace exist without justice? And how can one establish justice between two races so different in nature? And when exploitation was common and the accepted practice?

Reploids, were they so choose, could control nature forces on a small scale; they were more resilient than the average heavily armoured human, only needed sunshine, and some minerals and...could not reproduce.

Humans were the opposite.

' _Zaki was right...Sigma was right; Gate was right...Lumine was right,'_ And he had been wrong...so, so wrong.

They should have just taken a chance and joined Lumine on the moon... and remain there.

And yet... all those humans would have died even faster.

' _We should not have returned to earth... it was a mistake... another mistake.'_

Everything in his life was this... mistakes upon mistakes.

As he was about to drown in despair at how...everything he ever did ended up a blazing failure, he heard someone knock at the door. _'...Who could this be...no humans just knock...'_

"Mister X...It's Andrew. I just wanted to make sure everything was fine and dandy." The 'Old' reploid spoke through the door...something that was strangely human for one who was raised and conditioned as a machine.

He knocked again, this time more insistent. "X? Mister X?"

[Yes...I'm...still alive.] He tried not to ad the 'unfortunately...but he had the feeling it was still heard.

Yes...he tried to be happy when his wife was around...and sometimes, it felt like he was wearing a mask. Today, the mask had cracked.

But he had to admit...some days, he did felt better.

Today was not one of those days.

[Hang on, I'm coming it.] He heard the electric panel being roved, and the opening mechanism jumped accompanied by the sound of pure triumph. "AH! I still got it!"

Despite himself, A smile split his lips...

The door opened, and the bearded reploid dressed in blazing saffron let himself in. And X immediately covered his head in his blanket. Another reploid he had failed.

He felt the mattress dip; Andrew was most probably sitting beside him. And as to confirmed X's suspicion, he felt a hand on his back.

"Bad day?" The 'elder' asked, sounding a lot more like Cain than X felt comfortable with...

He didn't deserve to have his real father back...no matter what the Light capsule would tell him; they weren't the ones who took care of him like a son.

He bit his pillow as a wave of emotion flooded his system...

He was over two-century-old...and he wanted his father, he wanted his dad...

X had never bothered learning of his full designation; that man had always been either Doctor Gregory Cain, ...and then dad.

Where was this man? Where was this man who, having the best of intention, had doomed the world to a slow death? Where was this man who doomed the world by waking Light's last mistake...and who had called him 'my son.' so often?

Where was this man who, before Zero had entered his life, had been his only friend and companion? Who let him cry on his shoulder, who thought him more than his capsule? How showed his love and unconditional support despite how he had used X to reach unprecedented fame?

He was but a name; another face lost to the effect of time...born again to another family, in another form of life.

This was what Draupadi had told him one night... trying to give him solace as he cried for his real father... cursing his name as he longed for his words and arms.

"There, their son...it's alright. Just let it out...let it all out." Andrew's soothing words and hands pierced X's shameful sobbing, glad that no one but the 'old man' was there to see him.

Eventually, his crying subsided...and Andrew removed his covers, letting the extra heat out.

"Here you go. Feeling better now?" he asked...without a tinge of superiority...or aw.

It was patronizing, and t was exactly what X needed right now.

The blue reploid sat up...his heartfelt lighter, cleaner. Like one feels after a deep wash...like putting one's motherboard in the dishwasher.

He took a peek at Andrew, Giving a shy, remorseful smile. "I'm...sorry you have to see me like this...I...I don't feel like an emperor much."

"it's alright, X...we all have those days, weeks...months..."

"years." X continued.

"Decades," Andrew smirked.

"Try centuries," X smirked back as he whipped his tears.

At those words, Andrew admitted defeat with a smile and a chuckle. "So...what's weighing on your mind, my friend. Old man Andrew may have a mouth to speak, but he also has a very good pair of ears."

X gave a grateful smile to the genial old man, a survivor of the purge who had forgiven him...

He knew he didn't deserve forgiveness...but just like the return of his Zaki. And the wealth she carried...

He deserved worst.

"Speak up, son, I won't get mad at what you tell me...and I promise I won't judge, just listen." Andrew Prompted when X remained silent for a bit too long.

The ex-ruler of Neo-Arcadia took a deep vent...usually, he would open up to Phantom...but Phantom being his sorrow personified, X never really felt better. How could he, when it was the same thing as talking to a mirror?

"I..."

"yes..."

"I don't deserve...I deserve death," he spoke plainly, tired of always having to choose his words carefully. "I killed so many, I killed my progeny, my people...I've...I've doomed everyone by my presence."

Andrew nodded. "Yes... you blame everything on your mere presence." he resumed in as few words as he could.

X huffed. " Draupadi keeps telling me I was just an instrument of Karma, but... I've made so many terrible choices..."

"And you regret them."

"I do..." He admitted... no matter how much Draupadi tried to make him feel better about that, about how it was in the past and how he could move one...his guilt and fear would always come to haunt him.

And he didn't was his life-long partner to share this burden, for she had better thing to do than withstand the onslaught of his guilt.

"But..." Andrew prodded.

"But...in the end...My Zero returned to me...changed, happy." a smile dared to lit the broken king's face. "I...I'm a monster, a terrible dictator... and I had this crazy plan about...on how to bring Zero back."

"Ah!" realization lit Andrew's eyes. " So you became a monster to try to wake the hero out!"

"I know...It was such a stupid plan." X gave a self-deprecating chuckle. "I was desperate...and all my attempts ended up a failure."

"You didn't want to live anymore."

X shook his head. "No...I lost...I lost everything. From my lover, my friends, my family...my dignity...and...finally my freedom." Jaded eyes met the hidden one of the youngest units in the room. "I'm practically a prisoner in my own home...I can't remember the last time they let me out in public. I can't even remember what the latest movie or what was considered popular music !" X raised his voice, finally letting out his frustration over this whole situation.

Sure, he could speak to his Zero about it...but His Zero had more than enough on her plate already.

"I see...It's kind of you not to overburden your wife like that." Andrew gave his heartfelt praise, his wizened eyes approving.

X sat beside the seemingly old reploid...he felt as if he was back with Cain, back with his dad...

Even after centuries of wars and strife, leading an army and ruling for a few years, the blue bomber still felt like a B-rank.

"yeah...I...God didn't have to send her back here..." Oh, he knew her returning to life had nothing to do with a cyber-elf. A cyber-elf could not revive what was dead and corroded; those things only happen in romance novels and poorly written fanfiction.

"I...I still can't believe it worked." X spoke with clear wonder in his voice. "I sacrificed so many reploids...thousand upon thousands on synth-life snuffed out for him..." And he didn't even felt bad for that...the order had been oh so easy to give. Probably helped by his aid.

He was a reploid...but he also worked rather closely with humans, for all he knew, his descend to madness had been helped by them.

But it could've been just him also. He didn't dare blame anyone for this.

"Why did you do that, son?" Andrew asked, not to judge...but to understand.

"I wanted to die...and Zero...My Zero was specifically codded and build for this purpose." X revealed. It was quite astounding how, despite being railroad to be his end, his Zero...his Zero had saved him more time than he could count. Even going as far as fighting X to hardware failure so that they could Kamikaze the Eurasia station.

"So...it was a suicide attempt and not..."'

"No...the energy Crisis was just an excuse to...to do something that should've been done centuries ago." He should've been the one in the space station since, at that Time, Zero had gained full control of the Virus...and, who knows? Maybe...maybe maverick queen Zero would've managed to make something better than just one city in the middle of the desert.

They would've ridden to the world on one huge problem, though...

Andrew comfortingly gripped X's slumped shoulder. "Now...don't say that. What would your wife think if she were to hear you say that?"

X remained silent; he had no idea...

"But as my own wife would tell me often, let the bygones be bygones. What happened happen, and no one can turn back the clock. And, who knows, this may be the best outcome." Andrew spoke gently, and X stared.

"Mister Andrew...I don't see how all of this-" he gestured to his empty room and the unseen desert outside. "Can be the best outcome."

Andrew chuckled. " X...your wife returned from a hundred-year long nap, carrying with her the ancient scriptures that give all the answers of life, the universe and most impotently, the key to eternal happiness and bliss." he smiled further. "she even put in her sacred note that the Maha-Mantra can make it _rain."_

X's head whipped to Andrew, his mouth open. "what?"

"Yes, something about how the performance of Yagya or sacrifice to please Sri-Vishnu will also please Indra, to Demigod in control of precipitation. And being please, King Indra will tell his legion of cloud to make it rain." Andrew explained as if it was already a fact. "Of course, this is all but mere fringe benefit."

X nodded... Feeling some fleeting hope at the prospect. He had tried everything to terraform the earth, and nothing had worked so far...the only thing that had worked had been to sacrifice countless reploid to have Zero return from his grave and kill him.

It had worked, shockingly enough...the first part anyway.

"So... what's this sacrifice? How many more should I kill?" he asked, his voice tight.

"No one...just chant the Hare-Krishna Maha-mantra, since that's the sacrifice for the age, as shown and told by Sri-Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. The Golden Avatar." The 'older' reploid revealed to X, his smile bright and sweet. "do not worry X, everything's in Krishna's hands...and no matter what will happen, as long as you listen to your saintly wife, then you're as good as eternally liberated.

And thus, they spoke more about what the Harinama-Sankirtana sacrifice entailed, and at the end of it, X was all in for it.

It was so simple... so easy. _And it would work_. X could feel it...

But Andrew was not done with the hurting regent. He kept talking to him, pulling him out of his shell with his old wisdom and fatherly ways.

He spoke about his deceased wife (A human, no less.), his kids (adopted, and from another man, Andrew kept praising him as a gentleman and his best friend.) And plenty another topic from Mundane to Esoteric.

And by the end of it... X began to feel less like a dead man trying to live. And more like a recovering man re-learning how to walk.

Fall happened... but he would always have a to get back up. And eventually, he would be able to stand.

"Now...how do you feel about a spot of shopping? I do believe your wife needs more than your used clothing." Andrew suddenly broached the subject. "And I do believe some fresh air would do you a world of good."

X made a face...he loved the idea, just not the act of walking out the tower.

Only God knew what would be waiting for him... and X wasn't sure if Krishna had forgiven him of his offences to her.

* * *

"Yo...Uh... Zero? Draupadi?" Fefnir's intruding voice brought Draupadi to external consciousness. "You alright there, ma...ma'am?"

She opened her eyes; she could not recognize the room she was in. It was very humid; the smell of loamy earth, rotting plant matter and chemical fertilizers met her nose. She was on her back, Fighting Fefnir hovering above her, clearly worried for her well-being.

He had red eyes and some red marking running down his face... reminding Draupadi Devi dasi of her God-Brother Bharata.

Really, remove the two marks under his eyes and the fangs, and he would look exactly like X this one time they had tried to sneak into a maverick fuel facility.

Draupadi sat up...and realized she was still holding her Tulasi Chanting beads. Glancing down at her hand...

"Draupadi-Ze-"

"Just call me Draupadi...Or Draupadi Devi dasi," she told the flustered reploid as she brought her hundred and eight companions to her heart and head. She stifled a sob...

She couldn't wait to have some free time to chant now...it felt like forever since she had held a Japa,...her very life.

She reached her neck beads...feeling their embrace around her neck, the best protection against death out there. And the mark of her second birth...her spiritual birth.

Now...she truly felt back...and she knew everything would be fine.

"Draupadi?" Fefnir asked again, having knelled beside the charging capsule. "Are you alright?" He asked, now sounding even more unsure than ever.

"I am." She smiled as she wound her chanting beads around her neck, already pulling up the patrons to make them a nice bag.

"what happened? Master X told me to check up on you, and the next thing I know, I found you crashed on the ground in the middle of the hallway." Fefnir informed and asked. "Did somebody..."

"Oh, No...Nothing like that, I just met an old friend." Draupadi dismissed, knowing that Fefnir was not ready to hear that Krishna, the supreme personality of Godhead and her Guru-ma, had visited her...

Actually, Draupadi wasn't even sure if this really happened...but then, she had her Japa-Mala and her Kanti beads in their rightful position. Although those used to be virtual items.

She let out a shaky vent... Knowing that she didn't have an old friend here save X. And since X had just sent Fefnir to check up on her...

"Alright, So I got visited by Krishna and my Guru-ma." She revealed as casually as possible. "I'm in a material body...it's can't handle this amount of spiritual energy," she stated to a very bewildered Fefnir.

The red and white copy of her husband stared, his red eyes not leaving her...before, finally, he shrugged. "Eh...whatever." he dismissed. "As long as your not about to die soon..."

Despite herself, Draupadi smiled. "No need to fear then." she closed the dialogue, for her curiosity spiked.

She may have climbed the tower to get to her reclusive husband. But she never really had the chance to really see what the guardian's room were all about.

Well, she had seen leviathan's, but...everything was underwater, and Draupadi didn't want to stay longer than needed there.

Fefnir, on the other hand...

She had expected to resemble a man cave, a room not unlike Axl. Filled with dubious anime posters, cars, bikes and absolutely chaotic. That, and an armoury dedicated to guns and violence. And since it was underground...

No sun at all...and gloomy.

Instead...she was in a rather small room with its walls made out of flowering vines and trees. Draupadi got up and walked to the door, pushed by a burning curiosity and the knowledge that her expectations would surely be blown to pieces, Fefnir not far behind her.

And then...her step froze at the sight of the leader of the scorched earth squadron's basement.

It was an underground forest! It was as if...as if she was back at the forest garden behind the temple compound. On the vaulted ceiling were _thousand_ of spotlights, their light streaming down the canopy of countless tree essences. Some she knew some she didn't. She could hear a little brook bubbling nearby and the rustling of leaves in the artificial breeze.

She could smell jasmine, Kadamba, marigold and roses...

She carefully walked out of Fefnir's little hut and looked all around her, it was... breath-taking.

"So...like my room, huh?" the dragon-like general asked as he removed his helmet and sat on a bench. Once again, it was like looking at X with red hair instead of inky black. "Took me bout a century to have the way I liked it. Love the place better than my four other forests,s, to be honest."

"Ah..." Draupadi murmured out of sheer aw as she walked around the cottage, noticing a greenhouse filled with plants, some water fountain, a small koi pond and... "It's...beautiful." She breathed out; even the light that streamed through felt natural.

She heard Fefnir chuckled and got up. "I know...but it only missed you to make it perfect."

At this absolutely cheesy line, Draupadi froze.

Right...right.

She turned to face the red and white general. His lips pressed in a thin line.

What to do, ... he was still looking at her with disrobing eyes.

No... Those eyes were not the same as Leviathans... and they held something else than just lust.

There was a bit of affection there, but... it meant practically nothing.

"Yes, Fighting Fefnir? She didn't even bother to hide her discontentment at this. "You know, you have no reasons to scan me like that."

"Eh... Just making sure your hardware still holds, don't want you to crash again now, don't we?" Fefnir stated, will with the same smirk.

"Then why didn't you bring me to the medical area?" She prodded.

"You've already passed enough time here sweetheart... and you look like someone who needs some sunlight and fresh air." Fefnir shrugged, his voice managing to convey some genuine concerns... and the hand he placed on her shoulder just made it even more real.

Draupadi bashfully averted her eyes."Thank you for your concern." She told him with a smile softer than what she intended. "But you don't need to worry about me... S'not a little glitch in the system that will bring me down." she removed his hand and walked a bit further, wanting to inspect a flowering plant... and putting some distance between her and the passionate leader of the scorched earth.

Her plan had been quite easy, she would not hide the fact that what they were doing was wrong...that they were all betraying X and... hopefully, they would all back down as they remembered whom she belonged to.

' _Oh, who am I kidding? If they are anything like Xiu Ying, they won't give me up that easily.'_

Not even death would break X's bonds of attachment to her. Hell, not even the risk of incurring Colonel's wrath had stopped X from flirting with them during her day's as Iris's boyfriend.

And if those four were copied from his false-Ego...

 _Nothing_ Could dissuade them from pursuing her...

There was not much she could do save surrendering to the will of one very mischievous Lord and his perfect plan, knowing it was a way to purify her of whatever material attachment she had.

Fefnir shrugged. "Yeah well, guess who's the one who asked me to check up on you."

"X."

"Got it in one Zero." Fefnir purred as he approached. "Listen...ah. X's worried about you."

"Why? I'm fine." He was the one Draupadi worried about. That and plenty of other things.

Fefnir sighed, now much closer to the red ripper. "Because he loves you and feel's himself be a crap husband." he shook his head. "He just wants to make sure he's not draining you too much."

"Being a wife means to perform sacrifices and austerities for her Husband's pleasure..." Zero revealed. " X can take as much from me as he needs. I just want him to get better." And be peaceful.

Bhakti could be performed in any situation, but a peaceful situation was always the best, especially for those who were just starting to Practice. Not only that, but X was in desperate need of some rest and peace.

And if the sacrifice of her chastity was needed to have her husband back home, back to Godhead... then so be it, there was always next time.

"Mind if we walk?" The general of the scorched earth emphasized, giving Draupadi his left arm like the gentleman he apparently was.

The Vaishnavi gave a pause weighing what would be for the best...and took the proffered limb, bashfully looking at Fefnir from the corner of her eyes.

By this action, Fefnir's smiled, definitely pleased.

"Take me where you will," Draupadi spoke with surrender. Hoping her actions would not lead to yet another war.

' _Now I know how Queen Kunti felt when Arjuna returned with his new wife..."_ A small smile painted Draupadi's lips.

One one side, a fratricidal war between the five Pandavas while trying to survive their exile, and the other infamy.

Draupadi... and Queen Kunti chose the latter, knowing that survival was their foremost concern.

For the robotized Vaishnavi... her personal infamy was the best case if impossible scenario...still, she would do her best to stave off this particular war...at least to let her husband advance on the spiritual path as much as he could in this lifetime.

And who knows? Maybe her Xiu Ying would be so disgusted with her; he would leave everything behind and go the Vraja...

' _I don't even know where I am right now. What to say about Vrindavana?'_

"Yo...Zero? Draupi?" Fefnir broke her out of her tough. "You looked...worried there."

"Oh, it's nothing..." Draupadi dismissed, and instead turned her attention to the underground paradise. More specifically, at the light.

"You know, Fighting Fefnir-"

"Just Fefnir...were among friends, aren't we?" The firebase general warmly stated. An arm tentatively sneaking around Draupadi's slim waist.

She let him...

"Alright...Fefnir... wasn't Neo-arcadia going through an energy crisis?" Draupadi asked whit a mocking smile...really, she would not pass it by those general to do something like this.

She had cut through thousands of Mechalinoids and Pantheons. What to say of those mass-produced reploids? If the energy Crisis really had been that bad, then those nonessential machines should have been the first to go...not the thousands of reploids that had been slaughter!

And from what she heard from Alouette and read... Reploids were still manufactured.

Fefnir chuckled. "Yeah, we are...I ain't taking anything from the Neo-Arcadian grid." he proudly revealed as he leads Draupadi to a 'breezy' and flower-filled pavilion. Siting her on a wrought-iron, two-person swing. The only thing missing would be the birds, the bees, and the lowly of cows, and Draupadi would be back in Vrindavana. " Those ain't electric lights; it's plain old sunlight," he revealed with a crooked grin as he sat beside Master X's wife.

Once again, Draupadi stared at him...and back at the light streaming down the sun wells. And then back at Fefnir. Whom, deeply enjoying the look of pure shock of Draupadi.

He slung an arm around Draupadi's shoulder. "Yeah, As it turns out, reflected sun light's as powerful as the real thing...we used to have sun-rays station for reploids all around Neo-Arcadia before..."

"Before the O Apocalypse." Draupadi finished for him.

"Yeah," Fefnir muttered as he sat back, a deep melancholy replacing his warm and...somewhat sleazy smile.

He looked _so much_ like X...like how he would look when he would grieve.

Quite spontaneously, Draupadi took his hands in hers. Wordlessly caressing them...

Fefnir turned a smouldering glance back at the Vaishnavi, catching her gaze...

"Fefnir... I'm... I'm sorry, you went through so much." She spoke gently. " Is there... Anything I can do to... make it better?" She asked as she caught the fire General's cloudy glance.

Their eyes met...

And Fefnir got up from the swing, his venting was loud and harsh, and it was clear he was fighting against himself.

Draupadi's heart melted for him... it was clear the fire general was attracted to her, and he longed to have more. But he knew his position.

And yet...she also knew Fefnir's mood and discontentment would poison the entire atmosphere...just like Leviathan and Harpuia. X was the one who got the brunt of it.

She got up and approached Fefnir. "Fefnir...you...don't have to fight it." She spoke gently, knowing how ironic it was for her to say those damning words.

Bhakti-Yoga meant to refuse all sorts of over-sense gratification...the chief of all being illicit sex life.

It was meant to purify the mind and loosen the knot that bound the soul to its material cage. And to let it re-awaken their eternal identity as Krishna's servant. In a perfect situation, she would be renounced and living with other women who aimed only at God... at Krishna as their supreme lover... Or even just her and X, teaching him about the divine process of self-realization.

But...this was not the best-case scenario, X wasn't alone, and his mood would be affected by his siblings and vice versa.

She wanted X to be as peaceful as possible while he took up the divine and eternal path of Bhakti. And this meant that sacrifices had to be performed.

' _Curse you, Thomas... why did you have to ruin everyone's life like that?'_ Came the bitter thoughts.

Fefnir turned away from Draupadi. "Yeah, sure...and next thing I know, Master X retires me and makes my corps an example for all." He grumbled.

"He won't..." Draupadi spoke quietly as she approached Fefnir... "I...My Mission to X is to make sure he is as happy as I can make...and if none of you are...satisfied. Then X will not be happy..."

Finally, Fefnir turned to face Draupadi, surprised by what he had just heard.

The blond lowered her eyes to the Ground, her fist clenched. There...she had said it...

She could only pray Krishna would protect his maidservant as He had Protected Draupadi Devi.

"So...Let me get this straight." Fefnir finally broke the silence. "If we want X to be happy and out of his funk...then we have to be happy and satisfied ourselves?"

"Well... You and my husband share many traits... I would not be surprised if it would work." She admitted. " I've been hanging around with him and... He's better, but... He's still feeling like a pile of hot scrap, "

She heard Fefnir make a sound from the back of his throat.

"And... Last I checked him; I found the connection you shared and..." She sighed. "The five of you have formed a network. And X... He always had the gateway's for all of you but..." Alright, she was now shovelling it, but...

She didn't want another war... especially between the last five Lights.

"But we only woke about a century after he truly needed us." Fefnir grumbled. "geez...I have no idea what happened to him in the past, just that he's super tired of everything..."

Draupadi lowered his eyes. "Yes... and I doubt X would love for me to disconnect you all since... Since he's not as alone anymore."

"Yeah... You have _no idea_ how much he loves you." Fefnir admitted. "Like... it's hard not to want the same thing he shares with you."

"Well...I could always try to find you a good reploid wife... or whatever you prefer, really." Draupadi proposed, hoping her suggestion would not be shot down. "I don't know that many but- mph!"

She could not finish this phrase...for it seemed whatever self Control Fefnir had was completely broken. The fire general had crushed his lips unto hers and seemed to be doing his damn best to either snuff her life with how hard he was squeezing her with his mighty arms... or light the passion inside her heart.

When he came up from the air...not that needed to, for oblivious reasons, his arms encaged Draupadi, and his glances burned with unbounded passion.

' _Oh, Krishna... I swear, after all this is said and done, in my next birth, I take the vows of a naistiki Brahmachari.'_

"Zero..." Fefnir growled. " DO you really think any other reploids would satisfy me?" he asked. "I don't want a freaking piece of wet paper, I want someone who can take whatever I give, I want a warrior, a beast on the field..." He pushed her away, his entire frame quivering as his eyes blazed alight. " You...Zero...Draupadi, are the ideal one for me...for X...For all of us."

Draupadi picked herself up from the ground... quivering with anticipation.

"I want you...I want you _so badly_ , babe...I want to beat that Virus out of you so bad." He practically purred and stalked up to her, like an animal of prey its wounded quarry. "And you... I want you to go all out babe, rip me apart! Leave nothing but oily confetti, show me your true glories, don't hold back on me, babe !"

"So...that's what would make you happy?" Draupadi intoned, calling her viral potency as she got to her feet. Letting the white aura cover her frame and play with her hair. " Tatatsu...so be it." She lifted herself from the ground and opened Area Zero, the little nook she had made in cyberspace all those decades ago.

At the sight of the corrupted space, the dark plane in which the floors and surfaces were neon wire-frames that gave the vague idea of what was safe and what was not. There, in this proper battle field, Draupadi-Zero let herself go all out on Fefnir.

And Fenrir, with a glee only known to those who lived to fight, summoned Ghomora, Sodom and Tripura as he barked in uproarious laughter before sending barrage after barrage of flaming bullets at the Vaishnavi.

All the while...Zero only prayed that she could remember the Lord during the fight. For she, too, missed a good challenge.

* * *

Please leave a review on the way out... it help me a bit.


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